From the Editor

 

To enhance the management standards of local National Sports Associations (NSAs), the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has organised a symposium and a series of special courses on “Governance, Leadership and the Future Development of Sports”.  Currently, those NSAs subvented by the Government must be registered as limited companies under the Companies Ordinance.  We will outline the salient points thereof in the “Featured Report”.

 

While softball will probably sound unfamiliar to most of you, the Hong Kong Softball Association has been established for over eight decades.  In recent years, the Hong Kong softball team has risen to global prominence, thanks to its notable results achieved in international competitions.  In the “Portraits of National Sports Association”, we did an exclusive interview with Ng Ka-him, the President of the Hong Kong Softball Association, and Cheung Hing, the Vice President, shedding light on the development and prospects of local softball.

 

So Ka-kin, the Secretary-General of the Hong Kong Boxing Association, used to be a boxer in his youth.  After retiring from the sport, he remained an avid boxing fan, who has since devoted to serving the Association.  Secretary-General So frankly expressed that boxing remained an amateur sport in Hong Kong, yet recent years have seen a marked progress in its development.   The Association is formulating a long-term development plan to spur greater public participation in the sport.  Those wishing to know more about that may read the “Sports Hero”.

 

We highlighted mini squash in the “Sports Recommendation” this time.  Renowned for its fast-paced games, squash has demanding physical and technical requirements, often making beginners difficult to even learn, let alone experience its real fun.  The Hong Kong Squash Association then introduced mini squash into Hong Kong, in which a bouncier squash ball and a shorter racket are used, with a view to helping beginners learn it, while creating a solid foundation for them to do more sports.

 

In the “New Stars” this time, we introduced two members of the Hong Kong Triathlon National Squad, Nick Yip and Pauline Courret.  Triathlon is a physically demanding sport to the greatest extent, and so it goes without saying that the training involved must be arduous and gruelling.  Nick, at the age of only 8, made his debut in a triathlon competition, and clinched a gold medal in the National Youth Games in 2019.  A 16-year-old youth, Pauline has represented Hong Kong to compete in various international competitions in recent years, proving that abilities of women and men are on par.  The two share the same dream, aspiring to represent Hong Kong at the Olympic Games in future.

 

In view of the ebb and flow of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Government encourages members of the public to stay at home.  It is therefore of paramount importance for us to maintain good physical and mental health amid the epidemic.  In the “Sports Kaleidoscope”, we offered some useful tips on doing exercise, in a bid to encourage members of the public to exercise more frequently.  The LCSD has produced a series of online fitness training demonstration videos, suitable for all of us to refer to when home exercising.

 

Such videos were already uploaded onto the LCSD Edutainment Channel, a one-stop online platform, allowing members of the public access to the latest information on leisure and culture at their comfy home anytime.