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With the advent of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in August, members of the public are invited to bring along their sneakers to try out the fun of the ¡§Sports Arena¡¨ exhibition at the Hong Kong Science Museum, which will run from tomorrow (June 20) to January 4, 2009.
The exhibition, which features 20 groups of some 30 highly interactive exhibits, is to enable people to learn more about the benefits of doing exercise in a natural and scientific way.
The exhibition was officially opened today (June 19) by the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Thomas Chow Tat-ming, the Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Mr Lam Chiu-ying, the Associate Director of Special and Travelling Exhibits of the Saint Louis Science Center, Ms Pili Dressel, and the Project Manager of International Sales of the Ontario Science Centre, Mr Mike Chisholm.
The world record holder of the 100 metres and 200 metres, Mr So Wa-wai, and two local artistes, Yeung Sze-ki and Jacky Wong, also took part in the opening ceremony to show their support for doing more exercise.
Mr Chow said Hong Kong was very honoured to co-host the Olympic equestrian events. To tie in with the Olympic Games, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) would organise a series of activities, such as the ¡§Sports Arena¡¨ exhibition, to promote the Olympic Games and to raise the public¡¦s awareness of how to lead a healthy lifestyle, he said.
"Visitors to the exhibition will also have the opportunity to learn more about the weather forecasting services by the Hong Kong Observatory for venues of the Olympic Games in Beijing and the Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong through a series of exhibits provided by the Hong Kong Observatory," Mr Chow said.
The "Sports Arena" exhibition aims at promoting physical wellness through participation in sports, better understanding of nutrition and leading a healthy lifestyle. It features dozens of exhibits comprising many highly interactive activities that cover a wide range of sports, many of which are Olympic events. These exhibits are specially designed to introduce to visitors the nature of, skills involved in and scientific principles behind these Olympic events and other popular sports.
In the exhibition, visitors will get the chance to pitch like a pitcher of a baseball league, sprint like a runner in a 10-metre race, spike in a virtual volleyball match, shoot in a simulated soccer game, and act like a judge in virtual Olympic events.
The 20 groups of exhibits are divided into eight categories. They are: ¡§Land Like a Cat¡¨, ¡§Balance Timer¡¨ and ¡§Balance Beam¡¨ in the Gymnastics category; ¡§Baseball Pitch¡¨, ¡§Get in the Volleyball Game¡¨ and ¡§Get in the Soccer Game¡¨ in the Ball Games category; ¡§You Be the Judge¡¨ in the Judging category; ¡§Body Tables¡¨ in the Body Structure category; ¡§10 Metre Dash¡¨, ¡§Rowing¡¨, ¡§See Yourself Walk¡¨ and ¡§Sportschair Race¡¨ in the Speed Competition category; ¡§Dance Dance Revolution¡¨ in the Dancing category; ¡§Skeleton Wall¡¨, ¡§Little Fit and Fun¡¨ and ¡§Supermarket¡¨ in the Kid Zone category, and ¡§Meteorological Services For The Olympics¡¨, ¡§ ¡¥Heat Stress Index¡¦ Measuring System¡¨, ¡§Beijing Lightning Detection System¡¨ and ¡§Olympic Equestrian¡¨ in the Local Contributions category.
To tie in with the ¡§Sports Arena¡¨ exhibition, three videos, ¡§Science of Sports ¡VThe Science of Athletics¡¨, ¡§Science of Sports ¡V The Science of Football¡¨ and ¡§Science of Sports ¡V The Science of Golf¡¨ will be screened on July 30, August 27 and September 24 respectively at the Lecture Hall of the Science Museum. The videos are narrated in English with Chinese subtitles. For details, please visit the museum¡¦s website.
Admission for this exhibition is $35 including admission to the Permanent Exhibition Hall, with a half-price concession applicable to full-time students, people with disabilities and senior citizens aged 60 or above. No free admission on Wednesdays. The Museum Weekly Pass is also not valid for the ¡§Sports Arena¡¨ exhibition.
The Science Museum is located at 2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon. It is open from 1pm to 9pm from Monday to Friday and from 10am to 9pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays).
For enquiries, call 2732 3232 or visit the Science Museum's website at http://hk.science.museum for further information.
Ends/Thursday, June 19, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:01
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