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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will hold Sport For All Day on August 5 (Sunday) this year to encourage people to nurture the good habit of doing at least half an hour of physical activity every day to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Free recreation programmes will be organised while various fee-charging leisure facilities will be open to the public for free on the day.
Being held for the fourth consecutive year, this year's Sport For All Day is also one of the highlight events to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
An LCSD spokesman said today (July 3) that the event, adopting the theme "Stay active: Exercise for half an hour daily", aims to call on members of the public to engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day in order to stay healthy.
To tie in with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and to show support for Hong Kong athletes taking part in the Games, each of the 18 districts will pick an Olympic sport for providing free related programmes at designated sports centres in each district on August 5.
In addition to these programmes, an array of free activities including exercise demonstrations, parent-child sports programmes, fitness corners, sports participation activities and more will also be held for people of all ages to take part in and enjoy for a healthy and happy Sunday.
Enrolment for these free programmes will commence on July 16 at 8.30am at all LCSD District Leisure Services Offices and designated sports venues in 18 districts on a first-come, first-served basis.
To drive home the message of doing half an hour of physical activity every day, a new Announcement in the Public Interest (API) will be broadcast on television and radio stations from this evening onwards.
Another major attraction of Sport For All Day is to make the LCSD's fee-charging leisure facilities available for free use by members of the public on August 5. These facilities include:
* Indoor leisure facilities: badminton courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, netball courts, volleyball courts, squash courts, table tennis tables, American pool tables, billiard tables, carom tables, sport climbing walls, bowling greens, golf facilities, fitness rooms, activity rooms and dance rooms;
* Outdoor leisure facilities: tennis courts, tennis practice courts, bowling greens, batting cages, rope courses, sport climbing walls, archery ranges and golf facilities (excluding camping facilities, sports grounds, and artificial and natural turf pitches);
* Public swimming pools (excluding Wan Chai Swimming Pool); and
* Craft at water sports centres.
Bookings for the free use of the above land-based leisure facilities and craft at water sports centres on August 5 can be made at the Leisure Link booking counters at LCSD venues (except for self-service kiosks) from 9.30am on July 29 (Sunday) on a first-come, first-served basis.
This applies to the facilities which have not been block-booked by organisations for August 5. Each person can only book one free session irrespective of the types of leisure facilities. No prior booking is required for the LCSD's swimming pool facilities. Interested users only have to line up at the entrance of the swimming pools for free admission on a first-come, first-served basis.
The LCSD also appeals to the 18 District Councils, National Sports Associations and community sport organisations, as well as privately run sports clubs and health centres, to organise free activities and facilities on August 5 in support of the event.
For details of Sport For All Day, please refer to the dedicated website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/specials/sfad2012/en/index.php . For enquiries, please call 2414 5555.
Sport For All Day 2012 is co-organised with the Department of Health, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sports Medicine and Health Sciences Centre, the Postgraduate Diploma/Master of Science in Sports Medicine and Health Science Alumni Association of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China.
Ends/Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Issued at HKT 12:31
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