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Volleyball and table tennis athletes from around the world will gather in Hong Kong this week to compete in two exciting international tournaments which are highlight events for the "Hong Kong: Our Home" Campaign.
The four top national volleyball teams from China, Turkey, Argentina and the Czech Republic will be in Hong Kong to compete in the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix (WGP) - HK 2013.
The WGP is an international women's volleyball competition held annually since 1993 by the Fˆmdˆmration Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB).
The four teams will take on each another from August 9 to 11 at the Hong Kong Coliseum. On the first day, Turkey will play Argentina, while China will face the Czech Republic.
The champion of the Hong Kong leg will win a cash prize of US$35,000 (approximately HK$273,000) and qualify to enter the WGP finals in Sapporo, Japan, from August 28 to September 1.
If you missed out on a ticket, all the action can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home and will be broadcast on TVB's J2, Pearl and Jade channels.
Visit the website of the Volleyball Association of Hong Kong, China for the broadcast schedule and ticket information: www.vbahk.org.hk/wgp/event.php?lang=ENG.
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The 36 table tennis players representing Hong Kong in the 2013 Nikon Hong Kong Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit may have the backing of the hometown crowd, but competition from nine other teams will be very tough.
The event is endorsed and supported by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
This year's tournament has attracted about 150 players from Mainland China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Singapore, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Sweden, Indonesia and Hong Kong in 12 competitions.
The tournament, at Queen Elizabeth Stadium from August 7 to 11, is divided into two categories: Junior Events for players aged 18 or below and Cadet Events for players aged 15 or below.
Players can earn points for their performance in each circuit, and the players or teams with the highest accumulated final points will qualify for the 2013 Global Junior Circuit Finals to be held in January 2014.
The five-day event is open to the public. Free tickets will be given out at the venue 30 minutes before each session on a first-come, first-served basis.
Event details are available at the Hong Kong Table Tennis Association website: www.hktta.org.hk/2013hkjo.
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Chinese people believe that ghosts roam the earth during the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
Traditionally, the 14th day of the seventh lunar month is known as the Yu Lan Ghost Festival, which is observed to appease the roaming, hungry spirits.
This year, the Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organizations has chosen nine events to support the "Hong Kong: Our Home" Campaign.
The first event will be staged from August 7 to 9 at Carpenter Road Park in Kowloon City. Festivities will include religious chanting and Chiu Chow operas. On the last day (August 9), the organiser will distribute free "blessing goods" such as rice and biscuits to the public.
There will be about 50 to 60 events of various sizes to mark the festival throughout Hong Kong until September 4.
The schedule for the selected nine Yu Lan Ghost Festival events can be found in the August event calendar under "Vibrant HK" at the "Hong Kong: Our Home" Campaign website: www.hkourhome.gov.hk.
The Yu Lan Ghost Festival was inscribed onto the third national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011.
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"Book crossing", an idea that originated in Europe, calls for books to be passed around in public to promote a healthy reading environment.
Before releasing their books, owners (known as "book crossers") usually attach bookmarks with messages to encourage the next owners to pass on the books to others after reading.
To create a "book crossing" platform in Hong Kong, the Youth Square will organise the Book Crossing Festival 2013 at two locations.
On August 10, members of the public can release books at the Causeway Bay Mini Book Crossing Festival at the pedestrian precinct of Pak Sha Road in Causeway Bay from 2pm to 6pm.
This is a pre-event for the large-scale Book Crossing Festival to be held at the Y-Platform, Youth Square, Chai Wan, on August 17 and 18, from 11am to 8pm.
During the festival, young people can directly swap books on a one-for-one basis. The event aims to help young people develop a good reading habit.
The Book Crossing Festival 2013 includes a host of fringe activities such as writers' sharing sessions and screenings of foreign-language movies.
Requirements for the books to be released as well as information on the festival's fringe activities can be found on the Youth Square's webpage: www.youthsquare.hk/eng/hot-news/50/.
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All these events support the "Hong Kong: Our Home" public participation campaign, which aims to inject positive energy into society, foster social cohesion and promote care, mutual help and solidarity in the community.
More than 220 Partner Organisations have so far pledged support for the Campaign.
Altogether, the Government and Partner Organisations are organising more than 900 events/activities under the four supporting themes of the Campaign from the end of April to the end of December this year.
Full details of the Campaign can be found on the website www.hkourhome.gov.hk.
Ends/Sunday, August 4, 2013
Issued at HKT 11:00
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