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Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, today (July 12) inspected the various arrangements for a large-scale community event held at the Hong Kong Olympic Equestrian Venue (Sha Tin).
Mr Tsang, accompanied by the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mrs Carrie Yau, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Equestrian Company, Mr Lam Woon-kwong, inspected the operation of the shuttle bus service for spectators, crowd control arrangements, traffic arrangements and experience the admission service at the venue.
The event, "Sha Tin Welcomes Olympics -- Summer Youth Programme Evening Show", is the first large-scale community activity held in the Olympic Equestrian Venue.
The staging of the district event enabled local residents to have a look at the newly completed Olympic Equestrian Venue and experience the Olympic atmosphere. It was also taken as a chance for the Equestrian Company to drill the various arrangements which will be implemented when the Beijing 2008 Olympic equestrian events are held next month.
Mr Tsang, joined by Mrs Yau, first went to the Shuttle Bus Terminus at MTR University Station to view the operation of the shuttle bus service and crowd management arrangements there. They then proceeded to the Olympic Equestrian Venue where they were briefed by Mr Lam Woon-kwong on the spectators admission arrangements, venue services and the VIP admission channels.
The officials also had a chance to experience the arrangements for wheelchair users at the spectators stand and understand work of the Venue Operation and Co-ordination Centre.
With over 8,000 participants admitted to the show, the Secretary for Home Affairs was pleased to learn that most of the arrangements planned for the show had been smoothly implemented.
"We will review all the arrangements and the experience learned from tonight's show with the government departments and parties concerned to better gear up ourselves for staging the Olympic equestrian events next month," Mr Tsang said.
The show was jointly organised by the Sha Tin District Summer Youth Programme Coordinating Committee for 2008 and Sha Tin District Olympic and Equestrian Promotion Committee, with the assistance of the Equestrian Company, Home Affairs Bureau and Sha Tin Distric Office.
Ends/Saturday, July 12, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:25
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