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The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, left Hong Kong this morning (August 15) for the Shenzhen Summer Universiade 2011 (the Universiade). He watched table tennis and fencing events and cheered for the Hong Kong athletes, as well as meeting some Hong Kong volunteers.
Mr Tsang said, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has always been supportive of sports development, pro-actively promoting exchanges and supporting athletes to participate in major international sports events to raise the standard of Hong Kong sports." He encouraged Hong Kong athletes to strive for excellence at the Universiade.
Mr Tsang also expressed gratitude to Hong Kong volunteers who had contributed considerable time and effort to the Universiade, helping the event to proceed smoothly. He also thanked the volunteers for participating in Hong Kong-Shenzhen co-operation and exchanges.
The Universiade runs from August 12 to 23. The Hong Kong student delegation is the largest-ever to attend the Universiade, comprising a total of 102 athletes competing in 15 sports programmes.
The Hong Kong Volunteers Association has trained some 860 volunteers in Hong Kong, of which 220 will provide support in various venues in Shenzhen. About 640 volunteers have been assigned to the Hong Kong International Airport, the transfer coaches and the border control points to provide services between August 1 and 26.
Ends/Monday, August 15, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:24
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