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In a dazzling closing ceremony at Sha Tin tonight, 8 May, the hugely successful 35th Asian Racing Conference (ARC), hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, concluded. Beginning with an opening ceremony and gala dinner on Monday, 5 May, the conference welcomed a record number of almost 800 delegates to four days of meetings, business sessions and other events, including an evening at Happy Valley racecourse to witness the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) Trophy race. 30321b
The business of the 35th Asian Racing Conference closed with two fascinating final sessions dedicated to Racing and Breeding in Mainland China.
Horseracing is leading the field when it comes to integrity and fighting corruption in almost all sports world-wide, but there is no room for complacency and, in an ever-changing technological landscape, international cooperation must be the way forward. That was the message from the 35th Asian Racing Conference this morning when a of experts delivered presentations in a plenary session titled: ‘Sport Integrity: racing as the frontrunner’.
The final morning of the 35th Asian Racing Conference, 8 May, opened appropriately in the Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, as delegates were treated to video presentations of many of the world’s great race meetings – under the banner: ‘Big Events – Today and Tomorrow’.
Bill Barich, lead writer for the HBO racing series Luck, and best-selling author Don Watson drew a rapt assembly of delegates to this afternoon’s plenary session, titled: ‘Connecting racing with popular culture’, at the 35th Asian Racing Conference, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
35th Asian Racing Conference examines the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s renowned vocational training 9734n
The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s extensive vocational training programmes came under the microscope at the 35th Asian Racing Conference in Hong Kong this afternoon, as Amy Chan, Manager of HKJC’s Racing Development Board (RDB) and Heistress of the Apprentice Jockeys’ School, delivered a presentation titled: ‘Roap to Sustainable Talent Development’.
The breeding industries in India, Turkey and the Philippines came under the microscope at the 35th Asian Racing Conference this afternoon at a session chaired by Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, the inaugural Chairman of the Asian Stud Book and the owner of India’s biggest stud farm, Poonawalla Stud.
The latest session of the 35th Asian Racing Conference this afternoon at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre informed delegates that Hong Kong horseracing is looking ahead with confidence as customer participation and turnover continue to grow, while in Japan, the JRA (Japan Racing Association) is innovating to offset the effects of a “greying society”.
Television industry leaders Joerg Heise and Gary Burns, keynote speakers at today’s ‘Cutting Edge Technology in Sports TV’ session at the Asian Racing Conference, entertained and informed a large audience with the latest innovations in sports broadcasting – some of which may potentially be applied to horse racing.
The second day of the 35th Asian Racing Conference commenced this morning (7 May) with Mr Richard Cheung, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Executive Director, Customer and Marketing, delivering a presentation detailing HKJC’s mould-breaking customer engagement.
Mimi Cunningham, Director of Human Resources and Sustainability at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Koji Katsumi, Head of Environmental Measures at the Japan Racing Association, explained to delegates at the 35th Asian Racing Conference in Hong Kong that conserving precious resources by a whole range of initiatives is already part of racecourses’ daily operations.
Mr Louis Romanet, Chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) reaffirmed his organisation's commitment to horse welfare and medication control today, May 6, at the session titled ‘Fair Competition and Drug Control’ at the 35th Asian Racing Conference in Hong Kong.
Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horseracing Ireland and Chairman of the European Pattern Committee, during an address at the Asian Racing Conference in Hong Kong this morning, called for uniform international rules relating to medication.
At the Asian Racing Conference today, May 6, delegates at a session titled: ‘Movement of Horses’ were told that significant progress had been made to facilitate the internationalisation of racing and that good science, cooperation, harmonisation of protocols and developing trust were the keys to further progress.
The Honourable Matthew Cheung, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the Hong Kong Special istrative Region, today (6 May) emphasised the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s instrumental role in “augmenting, supplementing and complementing the government’s efforts in building a more caring comionate and cohesive society.” Mr Cheung was addressing delegates from around the world during the 35th Asian Racing Conference in Hong Kong.
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, opened the 35th Asian Racing Conference at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this morning (6 May) with a keynote presentation for the session titled ‘Racing’s Lifeblood – the future landscape for wagering’.
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special istrative Region (HKSAR), Leung Chun-ying, struck a ceremonial gong to signal the start of the 35th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) during a stunning opening ceremony and gala dinner at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre tonight.
The 5th International Stewards’ Conference was conducted today, 5 May, at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong, in conjunction with the 35th Asian Racing Conference. Chaired by Mr. Kim Kelly, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Stipendiary Steward, the conference was attended by 71 delegates representing 28 racing jurisdictions.
On the eve of the 35th Asian Racing Conference, the outstanding reputation of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Racing Operations team resulted in an enormous turnout from across the world for the first ever Racecourse Operations Seminar today, held at Sha Tin racecourse in Hong Kong.
On the day of the opening ceremony to launch the 35th Asian Racing Conference, a piece of racing history was made today, 5 May, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, when the Executive Council of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) met for the first time at an Asian Racing Conference.