To promote ‘Sport for All’ and encourage people of different age groups and levels of ability to lead active and healthy lives, the LCSD organises a wide range of recreational and sports activities for different target groups. These activities include district-based sports training courses, competitions, and recreational activities.
Major events and territory-wide projects include the Hong Kong Games (HKG), the Corporate Games, the Masters Games, Sport For All Day, and the Healthy Exercise for All Campaign.
Basketball players at full stretch in a match played at the Hong Kong Games.
In 2013-14, we organised around 38 300 recreational and sports activities for more than 2 542 100 participants of all ages and abilities, at a total cost of around $155.2 million.
Stimulating public interest in sports and encouraging a healthy lifestyle through regular participation in sports and physical activities are two of the department’s key missions.
A group of swimmers enjoying a workout in the water.
In conjunction with the Department of Health, the LCSD launched the Healthy Exercise for All Campaign in April 2000. Community activities organised in Hong Kong’s 18 districts in 2013-14 as part of this campaign included a number of fitness programmes for children, people with disabilities and the elderly; hiking and quality walking (QualiWalk) schemes; Dance for Health programmes; and rope-skipping activities.
Young people demonstrating their rope skipping skills at a fitness carnival.
The department also organised a variety of promotional activities, including a series of roving exhibitions held in shopping malls, schools, youth centres, elderly centres, residential clubhouses, LCSD holiday camps, parks, sports centres, and public libraries. These encouraged people of all ages to exercise daily for good health. The response was encouraging, with about 80 000 participants taking part in 1 500 activities in 2013-14.
Children and adults alike enjoy exercising with hula hoops.
To promote the campaign, the department enlisted the support of 36 local sports celebrities as Healthy Exercise Ambassadors. Health education and physical exercise-related information was disseminated in the form of DVDs, leaflets and booklets, and also placed on a purpose-built website.
To promote Sport for All in the community, Sport For All Day (SFAD) 2013 was held on August 4. It was one of the highlight events of the ‘Vibrant Hong Kong’ theme, under the city-wide ‘Hong Kong: Our Home’ campaign. Adopting the slogan ‘Stay active. Exercise every day with your family’, SFAD 2013 aimed at promoting parent-child sports activities and encouraging people to actively exercise together with their family members, making sports and physical activity as part of their daily life.
A family enjoying a table tennis game during Sport For All Day.
Families participating in a free recreational programme.
Most of the department’s leisure and sports facilities were open for free use by individual members of the public on the event day. In addition, a wide range of free programmes were organised at designated sports centres in the 18 districts. To mark the occasion, a launch ceremony was held at Hang Hau Sports Centre, during which a dedicated Smartphone App on Fitness Walking was also launched.
The launch ceremony of Sport For All Day 2013.
Over 220 000 people took part in SFAD 2013, with more than 29 000 people enjoying the free programmes and over 198 000 people using the sports facilities free of charge.
The Corporate Games is a major multi-sport event held every two years for employees of local private and public sector organisations. It encourages the working population to exercise regularly, while also promoting team spirit and fostering a sense of belonging to an organisation.
The Corporate Games 2014 is being held from February to December 2014 at various recreational venues throughout Hong Kong. Including 13 sports events, the Games is expected to attract more than 9 000 participants from over 260 organisations.
The Masters Games is held biennially with the aim of inspiring people aged 35 or above to maintain their physical and mental health by competing against individuals of similar age. The Masters Games 2014 is being held from June to December 2014 and will feature six events: badminton, distance run, swimming, Tai Chi, table tennis and tennis.
The School Sports Programme (SSP) is coordinated by the LCSD in collaboration with the Education Bureau, and provides subventions to the National Sports Associations (NSAs) for organising sports activities for students. This programme aims to give students more opportunities to participate in sports on a regular basis, raise sporting standards among students, and foster a sporting culture on school campuses.
Schoolchildren having a good time at the launch ceremony of the School Sports Tour - iSmart Fitness Scheme, a new project under the School Sports Programme.
A School Sports Programme Coordinator (back row, far right) leads students in an archery activity.
The SSP covers seven subsidiary programmes and schemes: the Sport Education Programme, the Easy Sport Programme, the Outreach Coaching Programme, the Sport Captain Programme, the Joint Schools Sports Training Programme, the Badges Award Scheme, and the Sports Award Scheme.
In 2013-14, 40 NSAs joined the SSP to organise 8 010 sports activities for over 610 000 participants.
A new initiative under the SSP is the three-year School Sports Programme Coordinator Pilot Scheme, launched in September 2012. It is jointly organised by the Home Affairs Bureau and the LCSD, and co-organised by the Education Bureau and the Hong Kong Sports Institute. Apart from further promoting school sports, the pilot scheme also aims at providing retired athletes with a career training platform. All of the 15 participating schools have been paired up with retired athletes, who have taken up posts as School Sports Programme Coordinators (SSPCs) and assisted the schools in carrying out their school sports development plans. The SSPCs are serving as role models to encourage students to participate in sport regularly, and are helping promote a stronger sporting culture on school campuses.
A School Sports Programme Prize Presentation Ceremony was held at Shek Kip Mei Park Sports Centre for winning students and their schools.
School children take part in the physical test - progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run.
The Community Sports Club (CSC) Project aims to broaden the base of sports development in Hong Kong, and improve sporting standards at the community level. The project also aims to promote and strengthen youth development, encourage lifelong participation in sport, and attract sport volunteers.
A demonstration of the indoor dragon boat championships at the 8th Grand Prize Presentation Ceremony of the Community Sports Club Project.
Athletes honing their skills in an inter-club handball competition.
Under the project, CSCs get technical and financial support for organising sports development programmes. In addition, seminars, training courses and workshops are arranged to improve the management skills and technical knowledge of club leaders. A total of 29 NSAs and around 430 CSCs have now joined the CSC Project. In 2013-14, about 2 300 CSC programmes were organised for some 50 000 participants.
In 2013-14, the 18 districts formed their own football, basketball, handball and fencing teams, with support from the respective NSAs. A total of 12 438 people enrolled in these district teams and took part in 327 training activities and inter-district competitions through the year.
Athletes competing in an inter-district basketball competition.
The main goals of the Young Athletes Training Scheme (YATS) are to enhance sports training for young people, and to identify young talent. Young athletes with potential have the chance to be selected for further training by NSAs. The best are selected to join squads and take part in international competitions.
Training for participants in the Young Athletes Training Scheme.
In 2013-14, the scheme attracted 31 069 participants to take part in 930 activities in 28 sports disciplines, while 273 talented young athletes were identified by NSAs for further training.
The Cheung Chau Bun Carnival, held from April 28 to May 18, 2013, attracted thousands of local and overseas visitors. More than 8 000 members of the public participated in the many events, including the famous Bun Scrambling Competition. Athletes from neighbouring cities and from Cheung Chau organisations competed in an invitation relay, adding extra excitement to the festival.
Contestants at the finale of the Bun Scrambling Competition.
A spectacular pyrotechnic display following the Bun Scrambling Competition.
