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The 5th Hong Kong Games (HKG) will be held in April and May next year. Athlete selection in the 18 districts will soon begin in June to commence the lead-up to the biennial mega sport event. Members of the public and sport enthusiasts are encouraged to participate.
The Chairman of the 5th HKG Organising Committee, Mr William Tong, and the Assistant Director (Leisure Services) of Leisure and Cultural Services, Miss Olivia Chan, announced details of the HKG in a press conference held at Kowloon Park Sports Centre today (May 19).
Mr Tong said that the HKG is a major city-wide multi-sport event with the 18 District Councils (DCs) as participating units. It is organised biennially to provide districts with more opportunities for sports participation, exchanges and co-operation, and to encourage active public participation in sports. Apart from improving sporting standards at the district level, the HKG can also strengthen the public's sense of belonging to the districts they live in.
The HKG has recorded increasing numbers of athletes and other participants, Mr Tong said. More than 6 700 persons enrolled in the athlete selection of the 4th HKG, which was 30 per cent higher than around 5 100 in the 3rd HKG. Over 400 000 attended related publicity events and public participation activities, representing a 30 per cent rise from more than 300 000 in the 3rd HKG. The trend reveals the growing popularity of the mega sport event among the public, he added.
Mr Tong pointed out that the 5th HKG would continue to organise eight sports competitions, namely the athletics, badminton, basketball, futsal, swimming, table tennis, tennis and volleyball competitions.
Miss Chan said that a seeding system will be adopted for the first time in the team competitions for preliminary groupings in the 5th HKG, so that strong teams from the last Games will not eliminate each other in the preliminary rounds. The Games would hence become more competitive and entertaining all the way from quarter-finals to finals.
There will be prizes for the overall champion, first runner-up and second runner-up in each of the eight sports competitions. Two new prizes will be introduced this year, namely the "District with Impressive Progress" award and the "District with the Best Sportsmanship" award. These awards will give credit to districts achieving the greatest increase in the overall score in individual sports competitions as compared with the last HKG and the three districts with the highest overall attendance of participating athletes respectively.
The three districts accumulating the highest total scores from all the eight competitions will be awarded the overall champion, first runner-up and second runner-up prizes of the 5th HKG. The Games will also carry other prizes such as the "District with the Most Gold Medals", "District with the Greatest Participation" and "District with the Best Progress" awards.
The DCs will start selecting athletes to represent their respective districts in each competition. Each athlete can only enrol in the athlete selection of one district, and applicants are required to provide proof of place of residence.
In order to ensure the validity of the documents of proof, resident cards are no longer accepted as legitimate proof of residence. Items offering valid proof of residence include statements issued by public utilities or commercial organisations or banks within the latest three months, declarations of place of residence issued by the Home Affairs Department, tenancy agreements, or student handbooks showing proof of place of residence.
The 5th HKG also has a diversity of other community involvement activities so that everyone can support and participate in the HKG through various ways.
The 5th HKG Vitality Run will be a new element in the Games, tentatively set to be held along the Shing Mun River in Sha Tin in early March next year. The event is suitable for families and people of different abilities.
The start and end points of the new 5th HKG Vitality Run will be set at the Sha Tin Sports Ground so that members of the public can cheer for their friends and relatives. The Run will consist of a few courses of varying distances and one of them will include a section at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, adding to the novelty of the event. Those who complete the whole course will be presented with a certificate and a complimentary souvenir. The event is expected to attract thousands of participants.
Other community involvement activities will include the Elite Athletes' Demonstration and Exchange Programme, the Sports Seminar cum Carnival, the 18 Districts' Pledging Ceremony, the Cheering Team Competition for the 18 Districts, Voting for "My Favourite Sporty District" and Guessing the "Overall Champion of the 5th HKG", the Dynamic Moments Photo Contest, the Grand Opening and the Closing cum Prize Presentation Ceremony.
The Executive Adviser of the 5th HKG Organising Committee, Mr Chau How-chen, and the Vice Chairman of the 5th HKG Organising Committee, Mr David Yip, also attended the press conference.
Eight Sports Ambassadors for the 5th HKG have been appointed by the Organising Committee to assist in promoting the Games. They are Mr Tang Yik-chun (athletics), Mr Tam Chun-hei (badminton), Mr Lau Tsz-lai (basketball), Mr So Loi-keung (futsal), Mr Wong Chun-yan (swimming), Miss Ng Wing-nam (table tennis), Mr Li Hei-yin (tennis) and Mr Siu Cheong-hung (volleyball).
The 5th HKG will be held from April 25 to May 31 next year. It is organised by the Sports Commission and co-ordinated by the Community Sports Committee, with the 18 District Councils; the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China; relevant National Sports Associations; and the LCSD as co-organisers.
Details about the HKG and athlete selection are available at the 5th Hong Kong Games dedicated website (www.hongkonggames.hk). For enquiries, please call 2601 7671.
Ends/Monday, May 19, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:28
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