Football
When last we looked, Tottenham Hotspur were 8th on last season’s English Premier League table, although over the years this has been one of England’s most successful football clubs. It was the first in the 20th century to win the league and the FA Cup double and also the first British team to top a major European competition and take home the European Cup Winner’s Cup. Now the team’s trophy cabinet bulges with shining silverware. The legendary Spurs are coming to Hong Kong for a friendly face-off in August against the South China FC – you know, the team that clinched their 30th Hong Kong Championship in May. So it should be a match no boot-loving fanboy can miss. In the dying days of July before coming to HK, Harry Redknapp’s players will also be kicking balls around Beijing with West Ham United, Hull City and Beijing Guoan.
What: Tottenham Hotspur vs South China FC
When: August 2
Where: HK Stadium
How much: $200, $250 (Public ticket sales at HK Stadium from 25 July)
Enquiries: HK Stadium – 2895 7926 / Tottenham Hotspur – www.tottenhamhotspur.com

Windsurfing
Pray for fair winds and sunshine as the Hong Kong Windsurfing Circuit kicks off with the Tolo Championships in Tai Me Tak. The championships will be contested over five ‘groups’, each sectioned into a number of (mainly) age divisions. Perhaps the least daunting for comparative rookies is the Raceboard 7.8 Group, as national squad ’surfers are forbidden to zoom in and blitz the competition. The IMCO Group is the one for men a little weight challenged – it sorts the guys into those above 70kg and those below. And although it sounds like something for brats with loud cars, the RS:X Group is a quite sedate collection of outings for men, women and under 19-year-olds. A disco offshore? No, the Techno Group pits 17 to 13-year-olds against each other and under 13s against one another. Finally the Raceboard 05 Group is a kind of free-for-all for anybody financially constrained to a used board without a daggerboard case. Entry for each event on the circuit is $100.
What: HKG Windsurfing Circuit – Tolo Championships
When: July 25-26
Where: Tai Mei Tak How much: $100
Enquiries: 2504 8255 / www.windsurfing.org.hk

Fencing
Although the entry date passed on July 9, you can still, with a squeeze and an extra $100, make your mark as a modern-day swordsman at the LCSD Open Fencing Championships. The contest is open to both local and overseas fencers, so it should generate a lot of excitement, even for those whose daring only goes as far as the spectator stands. The championships open on July 18 at 2pm with men’s and ladies’ epee and sabre events but July 19 will be a big day with foil fights from 9am to 9pm. That might sound hectic, but each entrant can only fight once in a day, so although the day’s battle may be royal, no single ‘soldier’ will collapse from exhaustion. Entry was $80 (now add $100 for the late fee) and participants must report within the quarter of an hour before their event’s showtime if they don’t want their good name guillotined.
What: the LCSD Open Fencing Championships
When: July 18-19
Where: Hong Kong Park Sports Centre
Enquiries: 2504 8106 / www.hkfa.org.hk

Judo
Judo might mean ‘gentle way’ but you can expect some pretty hard bumps and grinds at the 2009 Hong Kong Judo Team Championships. The competition opens at 10:30am and will feature a day of hard body contact by 24 men’s and eight women’s teams. The five members of each team will accumulate points according to the throws they score in their fights. At stake as well as face and bragging rights are trophies for the champions as well as the 1st runner up and two 2nd runners up in each division.
What: Hong Kong Judo Team Championships 2009
When: 10:30am, July 19
Where: Shek Kit Mei Park Sports Centre
Enquiries: 2504 8360 / www.hkjudo.org

Dancesport
Not too long ago, no one would have spoken of dancing in long dresses and competitive sports in the same breath, but the relatively new phenomenon of Dancesport has already been recognized by the IOC. Although the committee may not yet be ready to list it for the next Olympic Games, dancesport was part of the Macau East Asian Games, the Bangkok Asian Indoor Games and will feature again in the locally-hosted 2009 East Asian Games this December but before that you can catch a preview of this contest of standard, Latin American, ten dance and rock ’n’ roll styles at the CDSF Dancesport Grand Slams 2009 in the Queen Elizabeth Stadium on the last weekend of July.
What: Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games DanceSport Competition-Prelude Series : CDSF DanceSport Grand Slams 2009
When: July 31-August 2
Where: Queen Elizabeth Stadium
Enquires: 2771 1871 / www.dancesport.org.hk