Hong Kong private sports clubs must pay land premiums or open doors as leases end

Hong Kong authorities have confirmed that 15 private sports clubs must either pay a land premium, amounting to tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, or open their facilities to the public when their leases expire at the end of the year. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau has begun notifying these clubs and detailing lease renewal procedures, which include the new premium payment requirements. This policy, initially announced in 2019, marks the end of previous concessionary land premiums for private sports clubs that were not accessible to the general public. The decision aims to change the long-standing practice of exclusive access for these clubs.