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The following is issued on behalf of the Major Sports Events Committee:
October will be an exhilarating month of major sports events. The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has awarded "M" Mark status to three major sports events that will be held during the month, namely the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open (October 10 to 18), the New World Harbour Race (October 18) and the UBS Hong Kong Open (October 22 to 25).
The Chairman of the MSEC, Mr William Ko, said today (October 5) that those events, like all "M" Mark events, will add colour and vibrancy to Hong Kong and help attract more visitors.
"'M' Mark events showcase Hong Kong's capability to host world-class events and reinforce its position as the events capital of Asia.
"'M' Mark events also help generate economic benefits for Hong Kong by attracting tourists. They also instil a sustainable sporting culture in the community, and help foster a sense of pride and social cohesion," Mr Ko said.
The "M" Mark System was launched in 2004 to help local national sports associations (NSAs) organise more major sports events and nurture them into sustainable undertakings. Sports events meeting the assessment criteria will be granted "M" Mark status by the MSEC. Funding support will also be provided to some of the event organisers.
The number of recognised "M" Mark events increased from four in 2004 to 13 in 2014. So far, around $93 million has been approved to support recognised "M" Mark events.
For more information regarding "M" Mark events, "M" Mark applications for smartphone users are available for downloading from iTunes as well as Google Play.
Ends/Monday, October 5, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:01
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