Simon Leung Chi-wa, chairman of the Nations Cup Hong Kong organising committee, said low spectator numbers were anticipated, after previous elite-level events in the city “did not have full houses”, despite boasting the draw of world-class home rider Sarah Lee Wai-sze.

Nevertheless, Leung acknowledged that ticket sales suffered because of a delay in promoting the event, which was announced in January.

He also revealed sponsors who backed the city’s 2021 Nations Cup, and previous Hong Kong-staged World Cup and World Championship meetings, “did not respond in a positive manner” when approached about partnering for the 2024 event.

“[Engaging sponsors] was the most challenging part of my job,” Leung told the Post. “Businesses are still recovering from Covid-19, and their financial situations are not very good.”

Leung acknowledged increased crowd numbers would aid the search for sponsors, and said the lack of urgency in spreading the word about the event stemmed from a long wait to discover if it would get government backing.

“We needed the government to confirm we would have funding before we could start our promotion campaign,” Leung said. “[In future], we think we can coordinate with the government to push out the advertising earlier.”

Acquiring an ‘M’ mark qualifies an event to apply for up to HK$15 million [US$1.9 million] of financial support. Organisers quoted expected staging costs of around HK$7m when the Hong Kong Nations Cup was confirmed at the start of the year.

Leung said he did not yet know the sums generated in sponsorship, which are matched by the government, nor the total government contribution.

In return for whatever money it did invest, Leung said the government asked only “that we attract overseas and local people into the stadium”. No target attendance figure was stipulated, however.

Hong Kong held World Cup meetings in 2016, and twice in 2019, either side of staging the 2017 World Championships.

The city failed in a bid to bring a Nations Cup event in 2023, with competition to host major events heightening after the old six-leg World Cup was superseded in 2021 by the Nations Cup, which has three stops.

“It is very important to have major competitions in Hong Kong, because world-class races will encourage local people to pay attention to cycling,” Leung said.

“We are already doing what we can to promote the sport, by bringing this event to Hong Kong, and introducing more cycling into primary schools and secondary schools.”

Leung was disappointed the government granted only limited space immediately outside the velodrome for an expo, a rather grand title for 10 gazebos housing cycling-related activities, and product samples.

“More space would have helped us attract more partners,” he said.

Leung and his committee cannot be accused of sitting on their hands. They broke with tradition this year by tagging two youth races for local riders to the end of each morning session.

“The young riders bring their friends and families,” he said. “It means more people in the stadium, and, hopefully, more people becoming interested in cycling.”

What would really help, though, is a successor to two-time Olympic bronze medallist Sarah Lee. Sunday evening, when current leading home rider Ceci Lee competed in the omnium, saw the largest attendance of the three days.

“We hope Ceci Lee can become a new star and, together with some others, become more familiar to the public,” Leung said. “If Hong Kong people know and recognise their riders, they will be more likely to come to watch.”

As lead organiser of one of Hong Kong’s 17 ‘M’ mark events in 2024, Leung, who reported positive feedback from competitors, would be forgiven for feeling the heat in his role.

“I do not feel pressure at all,” he countered. “I can see many smiling faces, and I just enjoy it.”