With regard to a media report concerning the quality of steel reinforcement in a house at One Stanley in Stanley, the Buildings Department (BD) is highly concerned about the incident and has been following it up seriously and conducting investigation upon receiving the report. If any building professionals and contractors are found to have violated the Buildings Ordinance (BO) after investigation, the BD will pursue the matter seriously, including instigating prosecutions and/or disciplinary actions.

     The occupation permit of the house was issued in July 2023. The owner is carrying out decoration works after purchasing the house. The BD received a report in January this year from the owner’s representative regarding the structural safety of the floor slabs in the house. After making an appointment with the owner, staff of the BD was arranged to carry out an on-site inspection in March and considered that the overall structure of the house posed no obvious danger. The BD then launched an investigation into the case and also wrote to the registered structural engineer of the development, requesting a report and relevant information, including test reports and certificates for the materials concerned.

     The BD deployed its staff to the house several times between June and September to carry out inspections, tests and examinations. These included rebound hammer test on concrete strength, cover-meter survey, surface penetrating radar survey for checking alignment of reinforcement, concrete core compressive strength test, as well as on-site open-up inspections. The BD is currently analysing the data obtained from these tests and examinations. It is found that the concrete cover of one of the beams at the ground floor is not installed with wire mesh as required by the approved plan, and the steel reinforcement of some slabs deviated from the approved plan. Although such situations will not pose obvious danger, the BD considers that the quality of works warrants concerns and follow-up actions. The BD will conduct further investigation and has written to the relevant parties, including the authorized person, the registered structural engineer, the registered contractor and the developer of the development, requesting interviews to assist in the investigation and to provide information.

     The BD reminded the industry that under the BO, building professionals (including structural engineers) and contractors must supervise and carry out building works in accordance with the approved plans. Building professionals or contractors are subject to prosecutions and/or disciplinary actions if they are found to have failed to properly supervise or carry out building works during the BD’s audits and/or upon receiving complaints. The Development Bureau will submit a bill to the Legislative Council by the end of this year to amend the BO, which will also include increasing penalties of the relevant provisions.

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, today (October 3) extended her congratulations to Hong Kong, China Delegation on achieving its best-ever results at the Asian Games. Today, Hong Kong, China Rugby Men’s Team won a gold medal in Men’s Rugby Sevens; tennis athlete Coleman Wong won a gold medal in Men’s Singles; and windsurfing athletes Wong Tsz-ho and Cheung Tsz-yuet won two medals in Boys’ Windsurfing iQFoil and Girls’ Windsurfing iQFoil respectively.
      
     Miss Law also extended her congratulations to sailing athlete Huang Zixi for winning a silver medal in Girls’ Dinghy ILCA4; windsurfing athlete Ma Kwan-ching for winning a silver medal in Women’s Windsurfing iQFoil; Hong Kong, China Rugby Women’s Team for winning a bronze medal in Women’s Rugby Sevens; and sailing athlete Cheng de Villemor Salgado Tiago for winning a bronze medal in Boys’ Dinghy ILCA4.
      
     Miss Law said, “Hong Kong, China Delegation has delivered an outstanding performance at this edition of Asian Games, winning four gold medals in one day today. Since the opening of the Asian Games, the number of gold medal has risen to eleven, while our total medal count has reached fifty-four, breaking all previous records and scaling new heights.
      
     “Hong Kong, China Rugby Men’s Team won gold in the final in flawless fashion without conceding a single point, successfully defending its title and securing a third consecutive championship, writing a new page in history. Hong Kong, China Rugby Women’s Team also performed admirably, winning bronze at two consecutive Asian Games.
      
     “Coleman Wong fought in his best form, making history by securing Hong Kong, China’s first Asian Games Men’s Singles tennis gold, while also earning qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games – a result of great significance.
      
     “The sailing team was likewise extremely impressive at the Asian Games. What delights me most is that the youth events were especially outstanding: all four young athletes competing today won medals. Wong Tsz-ho and Cheung Tsz-yuet each secured a gold medal; Huang Zixi won a silver medal and Cheng de Villemor Salgado Tiago won a bronze medal. Together with the silver medal won by Ma Kwan-ching, the sailing team collected a total of ten medals – four golds, four silvers and two bronzes – its best-ever performance at an Asian Games, earning the applause of all Hong Kong citizens!”
      
     The Hong Kong, China Delegation has so far won fifty-four medals, namely eleven gold, nineteen silver and twenty-four bronze, at the Asian Games. The newly added eight medals are as follows:
 
Gold medals
—————
Rugby Sevens: Men’s
Hong Kong, China Rugby Men’s Team
 
Tennis: Men’s Singles
Coleman Wong
 
Sailing – Windsurfing: Boys’ Windsurfing iQFoil
Wong Tsz-ho
 
Sailing – Windsurfing: Girls’ Windsurfing iQFoil
Cheung Tsz-yuet
 
Silver medals
—————
Sailing: Girls’ Dinghy ILCA4
Huang Zixi
 
Sailing – Windsurfing: Women’s Windsurfing iQFoil
Ma Kwan-ching
 
Bronze medals
—————
Sailing: Boys’ Dinghy ILCA4
Cheng de Villemor Salgado Tiago
 
Rugby Sevens: Women’s
Hong Kong, China Rugby Women’s Team

     ​The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore (Singapore ETO), with funding provided by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, supported the Hong Kong harmonica virtuoso and two-time solo harmonica world champion CY Leo (Ho Cheuk-yin) in presenting a series of music and cultural exchange activities in Singapore from October 2 to 4 as part of his Asia Tour 2026. 

     The highlight of the Singapore programme was the “Two Worlds in One” concert at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay this evening (October 3), which drew an audience of over 200 and was warmly received. The Singapore ETO invited guests from across the Singapore community, including representatives of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Public of Singapore, business associations, cultural organisations and the local Hong Kong community.

     Led by Leo on harmonica, the performance featured Hong Kong guest singer Ashley Lin, Hong Kong musician Daniel Chu on piano and keyboards, Korean musicians Jongkuk Kim on drums and Jaeshin Park on electric bass. The programme featured a range of works including “Forgiveness”, “Bewildered Heart”, “A Mantra Samba”, “Two Worlds” and “New Beginnings”.

     Upon completion of the performance, the Director of the Singapore ETO, Ms Elsa Hung, met Leo and the other performers to show her support and encouragement ahead of the concert. Ms Hung encouraged them to make full use of the opportunity to connect with local audiences and fellow musicians, and to showcase Hong Kong’s creativity and cultural vibrancy through their exchanges in Singapore.

     The Singapore ETO’s support for the tour forms part of its ongoing efforts to bring Hong Kong’s arts and cultural talent to wider audiences in Southeast Asia, create opportunities for Hong Kong artists to connect with overseas audiences and industry counterparts, and foster closer cultural and people-to-people exchanges. These efforts also contribute to Hong Kong’s development as an East-meets-West centre for international arts and cultural exchanges.

     The Singapore stop was organised in collaboration with Harmonica Aficionados Society (Singapore) (HAS), with side activities arranged to deepen exchanges with the local harmonica community. On October 2, Leo conducted a workshop entitled “The Bottleneck in the Study of Chromatic Harmonica” for around 40 local harmonica enthusiasts. On October 4, he will give a guest performance at the HAS’s “Qin Yuan 51: A Tapestry of Harmonics” at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.

     “Two Worlds in One” concert is a musical project initiated by Leo that explores the possibilities of the harmonica through jazz, pop and world music. The Asia tour includes stops in Taipei, Penang and Seoul. The Singapore concert also featured local harmonica groups and ensemble performances alongside Leo and his touring musicians, showcasing Hong Kong’s musical talent overseas while fostering exchanges and collaboration between musicians from Hong Kong and Singapore.