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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (December 15) that the opening hours of Kowloon Park Swimming Pool and Morrison Hill Swimming Pool will be extended by one hour to close at 10 pm starting from tomorrow (December 16).

A spokesman for LCSD said: "At present, there are four indoor heated public swimming pools in the urban areas operating from 6.30 am to 9.00 pm during the period from November to March, i.e. Morrison Hill Swimming Pool, Kowloon Park Swimming Pool, Hammer Hill Leisure Pool and Ho Man Tin Leisure Pool. Of these four indoor heated swimming pools, both Kowloon Park Swimming Pool and Morrison Hill Swimming Pool have a 50-metre pool. As most serious swimmers prefer to use a 50-metre pool, these two pools are far more popular than the other two pools."

"There is no doubt that Kowloon Park Swimming Pool and Morrison Hill Swimming Pool are the two major swimming venues in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island in winter. Figures for November this year show that 82 percent of the swimmers using indoor heated pools in the urban areas went to these two swimming pools."

"The Department has since November received a number of requests from the general public and District Councillors to extend the opening hours of these two swimming pools to meet public demand. In view of the popularity of these two indoor heated pools, the Department has decided to extend the opening hours of these two swimming pools by one hour to close at 10 pm," he said.

End/Friday, December 15, 2000

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