Hong Kong is moving away from the solitary pursuit of physical perfection towards a more social approach to health, according to an industry veteran, who believes the era of “looking good” is being replaced by the need to “feel good”.
With more than a decade of industry experience, Charlz Ng Cheuk-ho, former co-owner of House of Fitness, has spent much of his career building the city’s health infrastructure.
As the former managing director of Hybrid Group, he helped bring the Spartan Race to Hong Kong and managed major events such as IRIS: Your Escape, a health and yoga event, and the Fitness and Wellness Expo, which together attracted more than 100,000 participants.
The basis of community integration is a shift well illustrated by Ng’s own methodology. A year ago, he would go to the gym alone; today, its Thursday is all about the 100-person running club at Tamar Park.
“The post-pandemic trend shows that when there’s an offline event, people really enjoy it,” the 36-year-old said, adding that Gen Z was moving away from nightclubs to “co-ed” activities.
Ng highlighted pickleball and Pilates as examples of sports that are “growing faster than ever” that reflect the changing international needs of Hong Kong “because we have less experience for people to volunteer”.
