Portraits of National Sports Association

The Hong Kong Life Saving Society

 

The Hong Kong Life Saving Society: Safeguard Water Safety

During the summer months, members of the public participate various water sports activities, but may become oblivious to hidden dangers in the water.  A moment of negligence can cause accidents.  A founding member of the International Life Saving Federation and a branch of the Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth, the Hong Kong Life Saving Society (HKLSS) is a non-profit voluntary organisation established in 1956, which has since establishment spared no effort in promoting life-saving work and spread the spirit of mutual help, while helping raise public awareness of water safety in Hong Kong.  At present, the HKLSS is the only recognised life-saving examination authority in the city tasked with holding life-saving examinations and assessments.  Over the past sixty plus years, more than 30 000 lives have been saved by the HKLSS.  With a strength of over 10 000 dedicated volunteers, the HKLSS is now proud to have support from more than a hundred affiliated clubs.

 

The HKLSS organises diversified activities such as examinations, competitions and training courses while offering life-saving services, with a view to promoting life-saving work and raising public awareness of water safety.  Also, the HKLSS has been actively enhancing local lifeguards’ professional standards on par with their international counterparts, while introducing brand-new life-saving technologies such as jet ski rescue, inflatable rescue boat (IRB) rescue, aquatic first aid and acupressure first aid.   Meanwhile, life-saving organisations and elite lifesavers from across the globe are also invited to Hong Kong by the HKLSS for exchanges with their local counterparts, enabling our lifesavers to keep abreast of the world’s most advanced life-saving technologies.

 

To promote life-saving as a sport and enhance public understanding of water safety and life-saving skills, the HKLSS takes an active approach in launching a number of promotion campaigns, such as holding competitions and training courses as well as sending lifesavers to compete in international events.  The HKLSS organises various competitions regularly.  For instance, the New Year Winter Swimming Lifesaving Championships, held on New Year’s Day every year, draws average of over 2 000 participants annually, while the Hong Kong Bauhinia Youth Lifesaving Challenge brings together elite lifesavers from the four places across the strait to compete in Hong Kong.  Other local events include the Hong Kong Water Safety Day held on every 1 May, the Hong Kong Life Saving Marathon, the Age Group Lifesaving Competition and the Hong Kong Open Lifesaving Championships, offering more opportunities for avid local life-saving fans to exchange with one another through competitions.

 

In addition to holding local competitions and training courses, the HKLSS sends teams to compete in overseas events every year, including the Lifesaving World Championships (LWC), the National Lifesaving Championships, the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships, the Sanyo Bussan International Lifesaving Cup and the Orange Cup.  The Hong Kong Life Saving National Squad (the National Squad) has over the past years achieved notable successes on the international stage.  Most notably, CHING Oi-ki and LI Yan-tung won a gold medal with a world record-breaking run of 12.8 seconds in the Women’s Line Throw event of the National Teams Youth category in the LWC held in Italy last September.  Moreover, the National Squad secured the championship in the Line Throw event in the Orange Cup held in the Netherlands in November 2022, during which they set the world record at 11.77 seconds, eventually walking away with a total of 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze.  The HKLSS sent teams to the Swedish Championship 2023 and the National Lifesaving Championships this May.  What is more, the National Squad will take part in the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships in September to show their mettle with elite lifesavers from all over the world, in an attempt to bring glory to the city.

 

Currently, the HKLSS organises numerous life-saving training courses, with the most popular one being the Lifesaving Training Scheme jointly organised with the LCSD.  The Scheme aims at teaching trainees rescue techniques for those drowned and basic first aid skills, enabling them to rescue those in need in a timely manner in face of emergency.  In addition, the Integrated Lifesaving Certificate Training Scheme launched by the HKLSS will also equip its trainees with adequate skills to handle drowning incidents, whether in swimming pools or in beaches.

 

Lastly, the HKLSS has launched the School Sports Programme and the Community Sports Club Project, in the hope of making life-saving more accessible to students and members of the public, thereby promoting their participation in such activities.  Not only can the programmes teach participants life-saving skills, they can also enhance public awareness and understanding of water safety.  Those interested but without any experience in learning life-saving skills are advised to first enrol on the life-saving training courses jointly organised by the HKLSS and the LCSD or those offered by its affiliated clubs.  Such courses aim at teaching trainees some basic life-saving skills and know-how through practicum sessions, with a view to ensuring effective discharge of life-saving duties in future.