Ombudsman starts probe into LCSD fitness room bookings

Ombudsman Jack Chan on Tuesday announced a direct investigation into the management of indoor fitness rooms by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), citing severe shortages in mandatory training places and a booking system that may be wasting public resources. He said the investigation was prompted by a surge in demand for fitness room use, with registered users jumping 56 percent from about 151,000 in 2023 to 236,000 in 2025. Total annual visits rose 50 percent over the same period to 7.26 million. A preliminary inquiry revealed that the number of places for mandatory briefing sessions and training courses falls far short of demand. In 2025, the LCSD offered 25,000 places across about 1,000 briefing sessions but received 377,000 applications. For training courses, 58,500 places were available against 257,000 applications. Currently, people who wish to use LCSD fitness rooms must either hold a qualification from the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China, or complete a three-hour briefing session and pass a written test, or finish a 12-hour training course with an attendance record of at least 80 percent. "While the LCSD requires members of the public to either possess relevant qualifications or complete its fitness training before they can use its...