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The 2nd Hong Kong Games will be held from May 9 to 31 next year to further promote ¡§Sport for All¡¨in the community. A dedicated webpage about the Hong Kong Games was launched today (August 1) for public browsing.
Two new competitions, swimming and tennis, will be added to the 2nd Hong Kong Games. A photo contest and an award for the ¡§District with the Greatest Participation¡¨ will also be introduced. The new initiatives are to encourage each district to send more athletes to participate, and to enhance support from local communities.
The Organising Committee of the 2nd Hong Kong Games, set up in February this year, will be responsible for coordinating the activities. All six Games competitions, athletics, badminton, basketball, table tennis, swimming and tennis, are popular community sports.
The 18 districts will conduct an open recruitment exercise to select eligible athletes as their representatives to take part in the Games¡¦ competitions.
Interested athletes who meet the eligibility requirements for the Hong Kong Games (see annex) and possess proof of eligibility recognised by Games organisers may submit applications to their respective district together with documents providing such proof before the deadline as announced by the district.
There will be overall champion, first runner-up and second runner-up prizes for each of the six sports competitions. The district accumulating the highest points total from all the six sports competitions will be awarded the prize for the Overall Champion of the 2nd Hong Kong Games.
The organising committee has introduced the ¡§Dynamic Moments Photo Contest¡¨ for next year¡¦s Games to enable more people to participate in the Games in different ways. An award named ¡§District with the Greatest Participation in the 2nd Hong Kong Games¡¨ has also been added.
To enable the whole community to learn more about the Games and encourage them to support and participate, the organising committee will launch a series of programmes for public participation, including a large-scale opening ceremony and a grand closing and prize presentation ceremony, the ¡§Elite Athletes¡¦ Demonstration and Exchange¡¨, the ¡§Cheering Team Competition for the 18 Districts¡¨, voting for ¡§My Favourite Sporty District¡¨ and making a Guess at the ¡§Overall Champion of the 2nd Hong Kong Games¡¨. Details of these programmes will be announced later.
Held biennially, the Hong Kong Games are the first territory-wide major multi-sport event in Hong Kong with the 18 District Councils as the participating units. A total of 1,287 athletes participated in four sports competitions - athletics, badminton, basketball and table tennis - when the first Games were held last year. The Games attracted more than 100,000 people to take part in various activities.
Based on the operational mode of the 1st Hong Kong Games, the 2nd Games will be organised by the Sports Commission and co-ordinated by the Community Sports Committee. The co-organisers include the 18 District Councils, the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, relevant National Sports Associations and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD).
A dedicated webpage, www.lcsd.gov.hk/specials/hkg/en/, with comprehensive information on the Games is launched today. People are welcome to browse for more details.
Those who are interested in joining in the 2nd Hong Kong Games should refer to the information on the open recruitment exercise, recruitment date and application date as announced by their respective district¡¦s District Office under the Home Affairs Department and the LCSD¡¦s District Leisure Services Offices. For further enquiries, please contact the Major Events Section of LCSD at 2601 7671.
Ends/Friday, August 1, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:30
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