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The following is issued on behalf of the Major Sports Events CommitteeˇG
The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has awarded "M" Mark status to "Watsons 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix - HK" to be held from August 20 to 22 at the Hong Kong Coliseum, and has also granted "M" Mark status and support packages to "Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Squash Open 2010" to be held from August 23 to 29 at the Hong Kong Squash Centre and Plaza Hollywood.
The Chairman of the MSEC, Mr Herman Hu Shao-ming, said today (August 5) that these events are the pride of Hong Kong and like all "M" Mark events they will add colour and vibrancy to the city and attract more visitors to Hong Kong.
"'M'Mark events not only showcase Hong Kong's capability to host world-class events, but also reinforce our position as the events capital of Asia. They bring economic benefits to Hong Kong by attracting tourists, and promote the development of sport in the community," Mr Hu said.
The "M" Mark System has been implemented since 2004 to help local national sports associations organise more major sports events and nurture them into sustainable undertakings. Sports events that fulfil the assessment criteria in terms of economic benefits, impact on sports development and good track record of the organisers will be granted "M" Mark status by the MSEC. Funding support will be provided to some of the event organisers.
The number of recognised "M" Mark events has increased from four in 2005 to eight in 2009 and so far a total of $31.5 million has been approved for supporting "M" Mark events.
Application details for "M" Mark status, including the application form and guide to application, are available on the "M" Mark events website (www.mevents.org.hk).
Ends/Thursday, August 5, 2010
Issued at HKT 14:01
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