Fok vows to boost sports in bid for father's old LegCo seat

Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, grandson of late billionaire businessman Fok Ying-tung and son of former lawmaker Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, vowed to boost the city's sports and entertainment industries on Thursday as he announced his bid for the Legislative Council seat his father once held.

Seeking to represent the Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication Functional Constituency, Fok, also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said he hopes to contribute to the sustainable development of the sectors with his experience, network and resources.

Fok, who is vice-president of Hong Kong's Sports Federation and Olympic Committee and is married to former Olympic diver and gold medal winner Guo Jingjing, announced his candidacy in a press briefing broadcast live on social media.

Fok said the protracted COVID-19 pandemic has severely dented the hope and confidence of the sectors he seeks to represent, and they had already been hit by a talent drain and a shrinking industry. He said he hopes to lead them out of the darkness and secure stable policy support with his experience and resources.

Longterm, he hopes to build sustainable development strategies and comprehensive industrial structure of the sectors, he said.

In the run-up to the election, he said he will further strengthen communication with stakeholders in the four sectors to better identify their needs.

Fok, 41, has been a key figure in the city's sports development, especially in mainland-Hong Kong cooperation and esports. He headed the Hong Kong delegation at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

His father represented the four sectors in LegCo from 1998 to 2012. Kenneth Fok is vice president of business conglomerate Fok Ying Tung Group.

The Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication Functional Constituency has 4,268 voters. Also running for the LegCo seat is businessman Herbert Chow Siu-lung, former president of the Hong Kong Tennis Association.

So far, 70 nominations forms have been submitted for the LegCo election, slated for Sept 6.