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The careers of professional athletes is usually short; but if sports enthusiasts have passion and perseverance and are interested in taking part in competitions, then age won't be a problem.
With this in mind, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) annually organises the Masters Games for people aged 35 or above who should grab the opportunity to enrol in the Masters Games 2006 to be held between September this year and February, 2007.
In the Masters Games 2006, there will be competitions in 10 sports - table tennis, lawn bowls, tennis, swimming, distance running, tai chi, badminton, orienteering, gateball and 3-on-3 basketball to be introduced to the Games for the first time.
Enrolments in the competitions will be conducted in phases. The first phase of enrolments in badminton, table tennis and tai chi ended on July 3 while the second phase for gateball, distance running, lawn bowls and swimming will run from August 11 to 25. Those who are interested in tennis, orienteering and basketball can enrol in the third phase from October 23 to November 7.
To encourage people to get involved in the Games and to promote sports volunteerism, the LCSD will invite volunteers to act as umpires in some of the events.
With its inception in 1993, the Masters Games are now entering their 14th year. The emphasis of the Games is on participation and enjoyment rather than winning. The Games are organised for people aged 35 or above and aim to encourage participants to keep their interest in sports and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle by providing them with competition opportunities.
Details of the events are as follows:
Events Event Dates
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Badminton September 9 - 24
(Saturdays and Sundays)
Table tennis September 17 - October 8 (Sundays)
Tai chi October 15 and 22 (Sundays)
Gateball October 29 - November 5 (Sundays)
Distance run November 5 (Sunday)
Lawn bowls November 12 - December 3 (Sundays)
Swimming December 3 (Sunday)
Tennis January 22 - February 11, 2007
(Monday - Sunday)
Orienteering January 14, 2007 (Sunday)
3-on-3 basketball February 4 and 11, 2007 (Sundays)
Participants will be selected by ballot if enrolments exceed quotas. Enrolment forms are available at District Leisure Services Offices of the LCSD and can also be downloaded from the department's website: www.lcsd.gov.hk.
Completed enrolment forms, together with copies of the applicants' identity cards should be submitted to any District Leisure Services Office, or mailed to the Major Events Section, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, 2/F, Leisure and Cultural Services Headquarters, 1-3 Pai Tau Street, Sha Tin, New Territories.
For enquiries, please call 2414 5555 or 2601 7672.
Ends/Thursday, August 10, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:03
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