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The Home Affairs Bureau and the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) will organise a series of activities on August 8 to mark the two-year countdown to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The events have a two-fold purpose, to welcome Beijing's hosting of the Olympics and to celebrate Hong Kong's honour of staging the Games' equestrian events.
The activities, including a variety show, a community participation carnival and a panel exhibition, will be staged in Kowloon Park, Tsim Sha Tsui, and are co-organised by the Home Affairs Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD).
A variety show will be held from 7pm to 8.15pm in the Piazza of Kowloon Park. There will be about 700 guests, including Members of the Executive Council and the Legislative Council, government officials, consular corps in Hong Kong, and representatives from the SF&OC, various sports associations, sports organisations for the disabled, equestrian bodies and district organisations. In addition to performances by entertainers and singers, the show will feature introductions to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Hong Kong's elite athletes.
The show will include a launch ceremony at 7pm and a ceremony at 8pm to mark the two-year countdown to the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games on August 8, 2008.
Officiating guests will be the Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr Patrick Ho; the President of the SF&OC, Mr Timothy Fok; the Deputy Secretary-General of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Wang Zhimin; the Deputy Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr John Chan; the Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, Dr Eric Li; Executive Committee Member of the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation, Mr Michael Lee; and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee and Sports Association for the Physically Disabled, Mrs Jenny Fung.
The Television Broadcasts Limited will produce the show and broadcast the highlights on its Jade channel that night from 11.05pm to 11.35pm. The full show will be broadcast next Saturday (August 12) from 1.15pm to 2.15pm.
A games stalls carnival will be staged along the Loggia of Kowloon Park (adjacent to the Piazza) from 3.30pm to 6.30pm next Tuesday (August 8). Ten organisations, including the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation, the Riding for the Disabled Association Limited, the Hong Kong Elite Athletes Association and youth uniformed groups, will set up 20 games stalls with either the Olympic spirit or the equestrian events as the theme.
Tickets for the games stalls can be obtained from the Public Enquiry Service Centre of the District Offices on a first-come, first-served basis. Some tickets will also be available at the carnival on that day. Enquiries can be made on 2594 5687.
The Exhibition on Olympic Games, co-ordinated by the LCSD, will be held from August 6* to August 13, daily from 9am to 8pm at the Arcade of the Kowloon Park (adjacent to the indoor pools) to let people know more about the Olympic Games.
With display panels and videos, the exhibition will showcase the history of the Olympic Games, the 28 Olympic summer sports, the achievements and highlights of the National Teams of China and Hong Kong Teams in previous Games as well as the preparation for the equestrian events. Visitors will be able to use the computer kiosks installed at the exhibition to surf for information on the Beijing Olympics, the 2009 East Asian Games and related websites. Olympic memorabilia, such as mascots, first day covers and pins, will also be displayed.
Enquiries about the activities can be made at 2594 6641.
* The exhibition was originally scheduled to open on August 5, but bad weather delayed the opening for a day.
Ends/Friday, August 4, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:12
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