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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department is committed to promoting activities on water sports safety and increasing public awareness to prevent accidents.
Water sports is one of the most popular leisure activities in Hong Kong. Last year, more than 19 million people visited the department's public swimming pools and bathing beaches.
With the ever-increasing number of users, the department and the Hong Kong Life Saving Society organise various activities to promote water sports safety every year including a Poster Design Competition and a Slogan Competition for primary and secondary school students.
This year, 8,309 students from 75 schools participated in the Slogan Competition, while the Poster Design Competition attracted 180 students from 23 schools.
The theme of both competitions is to encourage parents to go swimming together with their children. This will not only help them keep fit, but will also strengthen parent-child relationship and enhance water sports safety.
The entries of this year's competitions are very impressive. The department has chosen the champion entry of primary school section in the Slogan Competition, and the champion entry of secondary school section in the Poster Design Competition as this year's campaign poster.
The department also encourages people to enrol in swimming classes to improve their swimming skills and young people in particular to take life-saving classes.
The Water Sports Safety Campaign 2007, jointly organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Hong Kong Life Saving Society, was launched at the Kowloon Park Arcade today (June 16).
Winners of the two competitions received awards at the ceremony and an exhibition of winning entries was also held. A display of life-saving equipment and game stalls promoting water sports safety were set up at the foyer of Kowloon Park Swimming Pool.
Officiating at the ceremony were the Department's Assistant Director (Leisure Services), Mr Paul Cheung; the Assistant Director (Port Control) of Marine Department, Mr T.C. Sin; the Hong Kong Life Saving Society's Vice-presidents Mr Wong Hok-yiu and Mr Wai Kam-chiu; the Society's Water Safety Council Vice-chairman Dr Patrick Wong; and the Society's Chairman Mr Anthony Chan.
Winning entries of the two competitions will be on display at the Kowloon Park Arcade until June 24.
Ends/Saturday, June 16, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:33
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