But when it came to the crunch, the government chickened out and decided against a live broadcast of the opening ceremony on March 1 that would allow the entire city to celebrate in real time. Instead, an edited version of the evening’s proceedings, featuring big names in entertainment and sports, will be aired on four television channels three hours later.

One has to wonder whether the government really knows how to run mega-events. It is an art that goes beyond infrastructure and crowd control, and involves engaging the public and building anticipation. It calls for skills that the authorities should master, if it is serious about making Hong Kong a mega-events hub.

In explaining the delayed telecast, the government said it had considerations such as the TV stations’ broadcasting arrangements and production needs. But lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon called these reasons “not so convincing”.