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The Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre in Sai Ying Pun was filled with joy and cheering today (March 3) as cheerleaders performed in the 4th Hong Kong Games (HKG) Cheering Team Competition for the 18 Districts, showing brilliant skills and determination to win with sophisticated slogans and dance moves.
The 18 cheering teams who took part in today's competition will cheer on their athletes at the HKG. They will also attend the opening ceremony to be held at the Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground on April 27 with the district athletes.
Speaking at today's competition, the Chairman of the 4th HKG Organising Committee, Mr William Tong, urged the public to actively take part in the Games, thus fostering a strong sport culture in the community.
Apart from sports competitions, the 4th HKG also offers a wide range of community involvement activities for public participation. Mr Tong said the Cheering Team Competition today was one of the highlights to convey team spirit while supporting the competitive and enjoyable sporting events.
The cheerleaders, wearing attractive costumes, were led into the arena by representatives from the 18 districts. Their cheering and chanting showcased the unique characteristics and vitality of their own districts in performances lasting 90 to 150 seconds.
The competition offers the Best Performance Award and the Best Local Characteristic Award, with championship, first runner-up and second runner-up prizes to be awarded, and a newly added Highest Popularity Award.
The judging panel comprises representatives from the Community Sports Committee, the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF & OC), and the Cheerleading Federation of Hong Kong, China. The Best Performance Award recognises the content, action arrangements and onstage presentation of a performance, as well as the skills involved in the movements and the overall assessment. The Best Local Characteristic Award recognises the team that presents an excellent overall impression in which cheering moves, costuming and appearance, slogans, music and songs can best manifest the characteristics of their district, while the newly added Highest Popularity Award is presented to the cheering team which obtains the highest number of spectators' votes through a "one person, one vote" mechanism.
The competition results will be announced at the 4th HKG closing ceremony and prize presentation to be held at Kowloon Park Sports Centre on June 2.
The guests at today's competition included the Vice Chairman of the Community Sports Committee, Mr David Yip; the acting Deputy Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Miss Olivia Chan; and representatives of the 18 District Councils. They joined a ceremony to cheer on the HKG athletes and show their support for the Games.
The HKG is held biennially with the 18 districts as participating units. It aims to create a strong sporting culture in the community by providing non-elite athletes with opportunities to reach their maximum potential and strengthening the cohesion of the 18 districts through the competitions. This year sees the holding of the fourth Games, which will take place between April 27 and June 2.
During the games period, more than 3,000 district athletes will take part in eight competitions, namely athletics, badminton, basketball, table tennis, swimming, tennis, futsal and volleyball.
In addition to the Cheering Team Competition for the 18 Districts, other community involvement activities are also under way. Members of the public can vote for "My Favourite Sporty District" and guess the "Overall Champion of the 4th Hong Kong Games". Entry forms are available at the District Leisure Services Offices and sports centres under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). Completed forms should be returned to any LCSD offices or sports centres. Participants may also join the guessing and voting activities on the Games' dedicated homepage (www.hongkonggames.hk) now. The closing date for paper vote submission is April 27, and the closing date for online submission is May 12.
Photography enthusiasts can take pictures of the fascinating scenes at the sports competitions and activities of the 4th HKG to participate in the "Dynamic Moments Photo Contest". Entrants should submit their photos to the LCSD by June 10. Please refer to the Games' dedicated homepage for details.
There are also several Elite Athletes' Demonstration and Exchange programmes to facilitate exchange between local and elite athletes.
The 4th HKG is organised by the Sports Commission and co-ordinated by the Community Sports Committee with the 18 District Councils, the SF & OC, relevant National Sports Associations and the LCSD as co-organisers. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is the Principal Contributor.
Details of the 4th HKG and the community participation activities are available at the Games' dedicated homepage.
Ends/Sunday, March 3, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:01
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