SED leads teachers and students to mark 100 days to 2008 Olympics (with photos/video)
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    The Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, led more than 3,000 teachers and students to celebrate the 100 day countdown in the "City of Life welcomes the Olympic Games" Countdown Activity of the school sector today (April 30).

    Together with teachers and students from some 50 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, the officiating guests, Mr Michael Suen, Assistant Director of Leisure Services Mr Eddy Yau Kwok-yin, and the Director of the Youth Department and Deputy Secretary of the Liaison Office, Mr Wang Zhimin, participated in today's event to mark the 100-day countdown, and anticipated joyfully the arrival of the Olympic flame in Hong Kong as the first stop on Chinese soil.

    At the opening ceremony, Mr Suen said, "The whole nation is eagerly looking forward to the 2008 Olympics. It is Hong Kong's honour to be a co-host city for the 2008 Olympic Equestrian Events".

    He appealed to students to take the opportunity to participate in events of the Olympic Games, "Let us devote ourselves to the Equestrian Events and spread the Olympic spirit of solidarity, friendship and fair games."

    He thanked the vice general coach and four athletes from the China track and field team for participating in today's countdown activities. He said, "Our national athletes have undergone tough training. Their perseverance and determination to strive for excellence, their zeal for high standards, have brought them admirable achievements in sports and won glory for our country."

    He encouraged students to learn from the persevering and never-give-up spirit of the athletes.

    The activity, held at the Wan Chai Sports Ground today, aimed to encourage students to show their support for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Event highlights included a marching performance by kindergarten students, flash cards performance by 1,000 primary and secondary students forming "Dancing Beijing" and "One World One Dream" to show the joy and excitement of the school sector in celebrating the coming of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Other programmes included lion dancing, singing, a piano performance and wushu performance.

    The vice general coach of the China track and field team Kan Fulin and the four renowned Mainland track and field athletes, Liu Xiaosheng, Wang Liangyu, Hao Shuai and Liu Yanan, received a warm welcome from the audience. The national athletes encouraged students to demonstrate the qualities of perseverance and striving for excellence. They also excited the audience with demonstrations of the triple jump and 400-metre race and guided student representatives in their practices.

    The "City of Life welcomes the Olympic Games" Countdown Activity was one of the highlights of the series of activities entitled "Beijing and Hong Kong join to promote the Olympic spirit" organised by the Education Bureau (EDB). Today's countdown activity was co-organised by the EDB and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, with support from the Liaison Office of the Central Peopleˇ¦s Government in the HKSAR.

Ends/Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:18

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