From the Editor

Enhancing corporate governance of local National Sports Associations (NSAs) is crucial in promoting sports development in Hong Kong. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has recently held the "Symposium on Corporate Governance in National Sports Associations - Governance, Leadership and the Future Development of Sports" for NSAs, with a view to enhancing their corporate governance. We examined the “Fiduciary Duties, Director’s Duties, and Sports Governance of National Sports Associations” in the “Featured Report” in the last issue of our Bulletin. This time, we will brief readers on the board practices of NSAs and explain the powers and responsibilities of the Board of Directors.

Gateball may sound unfamiliar to some of our readers. Gateball is a combination of golf and snooker, which suits players of all ages given its moderate physical demand. In fact, very few know that gateball was introduced into Hong Kong as early as 1986. The Hong Kong Gateball Association has been in operation for almost three decades since its establishment in 1992. Gateball has its own unique set of rules and scoring methods. In the “Portraits of National Sports Association” in this issue, we did an exclusive interview with Gary Chan, the secretary of the Hong Kong Gateball Association, who shared with us the history and fun of this sport.

Siu Pak Hoi, the founder of the Hong Kong Taekwondo Pak Ngai Association, has been passionate about taekwondo since he was small. As the Association’s president and coach, Siu actively promotes Taekwondo and the number of his students reached its peak of nearly 1,000 students at one point of time. However, the development of the Association is not always smooth. The number of his students has dropped and many coaches have even resigned amid the epidemic in recent years. Siu remained undaunted by such setbacks, and overcame the obstacles with good sportsmanship in sustained effort to further promote taekwondo. In “Sports Hero” in this issue, President Siu shared with us how he has continued to thrive and gone from strength to strength.

What do you think about handball? This sport is played by two teams of seven players. Each of them need to move incessantly across the field and throw the ball swiftly, switching between offensive and defensive moves in a flash. The quick pace of this sport is exciting to watch. We introduced the history, evolution and rules of handball to our readers in “Sports Recommendation” this time.

Among the various types of dance, Latin dance is renowned for its sultry and attractive steps. Since its inclusion as a sport in recent years, Latin dance has become increasingly known among audience. We introduced two young dancers, Ryan Ma and Victoria Leung, in “New Stars” this time. Both are not only good partners in competitions, but also like-minded friends who support each other in their sport careers. They aspire to be top dancers, dedicated to living their dreams.

We introduced some emerging sports in “Sports Kaleidoscope” in this issue, including “dodge ball”, “floor curling”, and “bubble football”. Members of the public may have never heard of them given their relative short history of development in Hong Kong. All of them have great potential to be developed into popular sports in the future.

Officially open to public use at the end of last month, Choi Wing Road Sports Centre, the ninth indoor sports centre under the LCSD in Kwun Tong District, is equipped with an array of leisure and sports facilities. Local residents may run, do body building or have workout there, and Choi Wing Road Sports Centre is definitely a good place to visit. Please read “Latest News on Recreation and Sports” in this issue. Let’s take a look at this new Sports Centre.

The 8th Hong Kong Games (HKG), a local major sport event, is in full swing. Athletes representing the 18 Districts will soon be selected to compete in inter-district competitions held in April and May. Do remember to cheer your athletes on. In addition to cheering at sports grounds, members of the public may enrol in “Vitality Run”. For details, please refer to the HKG’s webpages. To help promote the HKG, they may also download the WhatsApp stickers of Enggie Pup, the mascot of the event, for sharing with friends. Let's join hands to support the HKG on all fronts.