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The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing and the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung today (October 17) watched the events of the 11th National Games being held in Jinan, Shandong and cheered for the Hong Kong athletes.
They watched the Hong Kong cycling athletes taking part in the women's track race 500-metre time trial and men's track race in the cycling venue of the Shandong Provincial Sport Training Centre and visited the athletes of the HKSAR Delegation's cycling team to show their support for the athletes.
They also went to the swimming venue to watch the Hong Kong athletes taking part in the swimming competitions and to cheer for them.
Speaking after watching the competitions, Mr Tsang said that Hong Kong athletes have harnessed their potential for excellence and he encouraged them to keep up their effort and gain experience from such a large scale of competition with the aim to achieving remarkable results in the forthcoming events including the East Asian Games.
After visiting the Hong Kong athletes, Mr Tsang and Mrs Fung then toured an exhibition held in Jinan International Convention and Exhibition Centre to coincide with National Games and to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The exhibition, jointly organised by the General Administration of Sport of China and the Organising Committee of the 11th National Games, highlights the achievements of national sports over the last sixty years.
They will return to Hong Kong tomorrow (October 18).
Cycling is among the 25 sports in which Hong Kong athletes have been taking part in the 11th National Games. The other 24 sports events are swimming, water polo, athletics, badminton, baseball, boxing, canoeing, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, sailing, windsurfing, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, weightlifting, wushu (taolu), short track speed skating and figure skating.
Held every four years, the National Games are the proving ground of top athletes from all over the country. The Hong Kong SAR had sent about 230 athletes to take part in the Games which is held at Jinan, Shandong between October 16 and 28.
Ends/Saturday, October 17, 2009
Issued at HKT 19:51
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