Hong Kong Jockey Club
| The Hong Kong Jockey Club 香港 賽馬 會
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|---|---|
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| legal form | Private Companies Limited by Guarantee |
| founding | 1884 |
| Seat | 1 Sports Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong , China 
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| management | Simon SO Ip ( Chairman ) 葉錫安 / 叶锡安 Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges ( CEO ) 應 家 柏 / 应 家 柏 |
| Number of employees | 24,400 4,400 full-time 20,000 part-time |
| Branch | Charity |
| Website | www.hkjc.com |
| As of January 31, 2018 | |
The Hong Kong Jockey Club , abbr .: HKJC ( Chinese 香港 賽馬 會 / 香港 赛马 会 , Pinyin Xiānggǎng Sàimǎhuì , Jyutping Hoeng 1 gong 2 Coi 6 maa 5 wui 2 , short 馬 會 / 马 会 , Mǎhuì , Jyutping Maa 5 wui 2 ) in 1884 as a gentlemen's club founded to horse racing to promote. During the colonial period the club was under the royal patronage of Britain and was called until 1996 " The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club " ( 英皇御准香港賽馬會 / 英皇御准香港赛马会 , Yinghuang Yùzhǔn Xiānggǎng Sàimǎhuì , Jyutping Jing 1 wong 4 Jyu 6 zeon 2 Hoeng 1 gong 2 Coi 6 maa 5 wui 2 ).
It is a non-profit organization providing horse racing, sports and betting entertainment. The HKJC is Hong Kong's largest taxpayer and the largest private donor to charities.
background
Horse racing was introduced to Hong Kong by the British in 1846 . They drained a swamp in what is now Happy Valley in order to build the Happy Valley Racecourse horse racecourse there. Except for a few years during the Second World War , horse races have been held there continuously since then.
The club
The club was founded in 1884 as an amateur club promoting horse racing. The members of the club came from the upper social class of society. Membership was prohibited to women and people from unsuitable backgrounds. This resulted in no Chinese among the club's members until the 20th century. The status of professional club was not changed until 1971. In 1978 the second Sha Tin Racecourse was opened in Sha Tin . The club organizes around 700 horse races annually on its two horse racing tracks.
Horse racing
The increasing popularity of the sport has led to an increase in illegal horse racing betting. In response to the illegal betting, the Hong Kong government allowed the club to operate betting offices outside of the racetracks in 1973, giving it a legal monopoly . In 1974 the club opened the first six betting shops and now operates more than a hundred across the city. In order to counter illegal gambling and sports betting , the Mark Six lottery ( 六合彩 , liùhécǎi , Jyutping luk 6 hap 6 coi 2 , comparable to the lottery 6 out of 49 ) and bets on foreign football games have been added.
Olympic Games 2008
In July 2005 it was decided that the equestrian competitions of the Olympic Games 2008 would be held in Hong Kong. The grounds of the international horse racing center near Sha Tin are used as a base for the Olympics. Additional venues for events and training were integrated into the existing sports facilities of the Hong Kong Sport Institute , the Jockey Club Beas River Country Club and the existing golf course.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ corporate.hkjc.com : HKJC News - Dr Simon Ip becomes 23rd Chairman of HKJC (Chinese / English). Retrieved July 21, 2018 .
- ↑ corporate.hkjc.com : HKJC Management Structure (Chinese / English). Retrieved July 21, 2018 .
- ↑ Hong Kong Club members succumbed to redevelpment offer. ( Memento from May 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: The Standard. February 13, 1997.
- ↑ Hong Kong Jockey Club - Betting Channels - Overview. Retrieved May 16, 2015 .