LCSD Annual Report 2002 - Leisure Services

To promote the concept of Sport for All and encourage people to participate in regular recreation and sports activities, the department organised a wide variety of training courses, recreation activities, sports programmes and competitions through the 18 District Leisure Services Offices. There were also a number of major events and territory-wide projects, including the Corporate Games, Masters Games, International Sand Sculpture Exchange Programme and International Kite Flying Festival.

Target groups included senior citizens, persons with a disability and youths at risk.

In all, the department organised 24,422 community recreation and sports activities for more than 1,450,000 participants of all ages and abilities, at a cost of about $112 million.

To enhance public interest in sports activities and encourage the public to pursue a healthy lifestyle through regular physical exercise, the LCSD continued to organise the Healthy Exercise for All campaign jointly with the Department of Health. In 2002, the campaign covered large-scale sports promotional events including: Sports for-All Carnival, Dance Extravaganza and the roving sports demonstrations (i.e. basketball, dance sport and gymnastics). Other events organised in the 18 districts to promote the campaign's message included: fitness programmes for overweight children, senior citizens and persons with a disability; two walking projects (Hiking Scheme and Quali-walk); Dance for Health; Rope Skipping Scheme and a series of roving exhibitions.

Response to the campaign was encouraging, with a total of 90,000 people taking part in 1,800 activities.

More than 30 top athletes were appointed Healthy Exercise Ambassadors to help promote the message of Healthy Exercise for All by attending major promotional events and outreach programmes. In addition, videotapes, VCDs, leaflets and booklets were produced to introduce simple healthy exercises to the public.

The Territory-wide Age Group Competitions were organised to provide more opportunities for people of similar ages to participate in and sustain their interest in sport. The competitions included table-tennis, squash, swimming, tennis and badminton. They covered eight to nine age groups under three main divisions — Youth, Adults and Masters — and attracted about 35,300 participants.

To generate community interest in sports, each of the 18 districts set up its own football, basketball, table-tennis and badminton teams with the help of the four relevant National Sporting Associations. More than 4,000 people enrolled in these district teams and took part in a total of 313 training courses and four inter-district competitions held throughout the year.

The department co-organised the Young Athletes Training (YAT) Scheme with various National Sports Associations (NSAs). Selected sports were badminton, table-tennis, football, basketball and swimming.

The main objective of the YAT scheme is to enhance the training available to young people in these five sports at district level in the hope that talented athletes will be identified and referred to the relevant NSAs for further training. The best will then be selected to join national youth squads to represent Hong Kong in international sporting events.

In 2002, a total of 654 activities were organised, attracting 21,100 youngsters.

The International Sand Sculpture Exchange Programme was held at Golden Beach, Tuen Mun. The event attracted local participants under three divisions — Youth, Open and Theme. In the exchange programme, sand sculptors from Kagoshima, Japan were invited to demonstrate their extraordinary creativity and skills. More than 2,000 spectators attended this unusual and highly entertaining programme.

Participants enjoyed the kite flying activities and learned the traditional art of making kites during the International Kite Flying Festival held at the former Kai Tak Airport. More than 12,860 enthusiasts and 24 overseas teams from six countries took part in the competition.

The Corporate Games are meant to help build an energetic and healthy community, and this event is one of the department's most important promotional activities. The aim is to promote relationships and a sense of belonging among employers and employees through participation in recreation and sports events.

The Corporate Games began in July 2002. Altogether, 17 competitive events were organised at various recreational venues throughout the territory, and 11,133 employees from 226 organisations took part.

The Masters Games aim to encourage people aged 35 or above to keep up their physical and mental health through sports. They also offer competitors the opportunity to play against people of similar age. The 2002 Games comprised 10 events and attracted about 2,100 competitors. The Games received a large boost from the successes of the Hong Kong team. The 19 winners went on to perform very well at the 5th World Masters Games held in Melbourne, Australia in October and reaped 10 gold, 11 silver and five bronze medals in athletics, swimming, table tennis, badminton and tennis.

The School Sports Programme (SSP) provides opportunities for youngsters to participate in more sports and aims to enhance the standard of sports at primary, secondary and special schools through the provision of a wide range of activities. Activities include the Easy Sport Programme, the Sport Education Programme, the Sport Captain Programme and the Outreach Coaching Programme. A panel, comprising 15 representatives from school organisations, the Education Department and District Councils, meets to advise on the implementation of the SSP. In 2002, 3,076 sports activities were organised for more than 320,000 students at a cost of $10 million.

The Community Sports Club (CSC) project aims to broaden the base of sports development in Hong Kong and improve the standard of sports at community level. Its objective is to promote and strengthen youngsters' development in sports, encourage a lifelong participation in sports and attract more sports volunteers.

All CSCs are provided with technical and financial support to organise sports development programmes. Seminars, training courses and workshops are also organised to enhance the managerial and technical knowledge of members. A total of 20 National Sports Associations and 133 CSCs have joined the project. In 2002, 239 CSC projects were organised with subsidies from the department, attracting 12,008 participants.

More than 50 new programmes for children were launched during the summer, Christmas and New Year holidays in 2002. The aim is to encourage small children to participate in group activities during the long school holidays. Entry fees were set at an affordable level. Unlike many traditional recreation and sports training courses, these programmes were conducted in a friendly and relaxing atmosphere. Activities organised included handicrafts, magic, music and dance, horticulture, fun games, workshops and story-telling in English and Putonghua.

Further, a more proactive and flexible marketing approach has been adopted to promote the use of sports centres by organising recreation and sports programmes tailored to the needs of private companies and institutions. Tailor-made/special programmes — such as know-the-sport series, training courses for various sports, fitness training, competitions and team-building activities — will be organised in accordance with requests from private companies and institutions.

To promote proper pet care, the department organised the Carnival for Pets — Dogs Fun Day at Victoria Park on December 7-8. A wide range of activities were provided, including a police dog demonstration, dog obedience contest, talks by celebrities, exhibitions and pet games. There were also retail stalls selling pet products and a food corner to help support the local community economy. The carnival was well received by the public, with the two-day event attracting more than 17,000 participants and 4,000 dogs.