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Free admission tickets for the Opening Ceremony of the 2nd Hong Kong Games (HKG) to be held at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground on May 9 (Saturday) from 7pm to 9.30pm will be available for public collection from Thursday (April 23).
The opening ceremony will feature a parade of some 1,000 athletes from the 18 districts, a cheering team competition, the lighting of the Cauldron, as well as performances by the Hong Kong Police Band and local pop stars including Hacken Lee, Charlene Choi, Hins Cheung, Vincy and William Chan.
Olympic gold medalist, Li Ning, will attend the ceremony as a special guest and take part in the lighting of the Cauldron together with our local athletes.
As a prelude to the 2009 East Asian Games and to create an enthusiastic atmosphere for the Games in the community, the performances at the HKG opening ceremony will incorporate the East Asian Games elements. Performers of the dancing and the drum shows will be dressed in costumes of the nine countries/regions participating in the Games to highlight the culture of individual places. Twenty-three sport events of the Games will also be featured.
To get Hong Kong prepared for the East Asian Games, some of the final competitions of the HKG will be held at the venues to be used for the East Asian Games to test their efficacy.
Free admission tickets for the opening ceremony will be distributed at the District Leisure Services Offices of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) from Thursday (April 23). Each person can obtain up to two tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.
Members of the public who get the free admission tickets are advised to attend the opening ceremony as scheduled. Those who are unable to turn up on the day may pass the tickets to relatives and friends for attending the ceremony so as to show support to the district athletes taking part in the HKG and this local major sports event.
The 2nd HKG, a territory-wide major multi-sport event in Hong Kong with the 18 District Councils as the participating units, will be staged between May 9 and 31. Some 2,300 athletes representing the 18 District Councils will participate in six sports competitions, namely athletics, table tennis, badminton, basketball, swimming and tennis.
The objectives of the HKG are to provide districts with more opportunities for sports participation, exchanges and co-operation, and to encourage members of the public to actively participate in sports, thereby further promoting the culture of "Sport for All" at the community level.
For further enquiries, please contact the Major Events Section of the LCSD on 2601 7671. Further information on the 2nd HKG is also available at the LCSD webpage (http://www.lcsd.gov.hk) .
Ends/Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Issued at HKT 20:00
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