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National diving athletes will come to Hong Kong to display their skills at the opening ceremony of the new Victoria Park Swimming Pool to be held by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) on November 24 (Sunday). Members of the public will have a chance to witness the marvellous diving skills of the world's best diving athletes in the diving pool of the new pool complex.
The programme at the opening ceremony will be very exciting, with splendid performances sure to win the applause of the audience. Four Olympic gold medallists - Wu Minxia, He Zi, Chen Ruolin and Qin Kai - will join local diving athletes Xie Zhen and Sharon Chan, who recently secured silver and bronze medals respectively at the 6th East Asian Games in Tianjin, as well as other members of the Hong Kong diving team, to perform a diving demonstration.
Apart from the diving demonstration, there will also be a synchronised swimming performance and a 4 x 50-metre short-course swimming relay race. Local athletes will participate in both programmes.
The LCSD has reserved 1 400 admission tickets for free distribution to members of the public for their participation in this event. Group visits by the underprivileged, students and others will also be arranged through community groups and schools.
Free admission tickets for the opening ceremony will be available for distribution to the public from 10am this Sunday (November 17) on a first-come, first-served basis at the information counter at the spectator stand entrance lobby of the swimming pool at 1 Hing Fat Street, Causeway Bay. Each person can obtain two tickets.
Spectators at the opening ceremony will each receive a souvenir to mark the special occasion of the reopening of the pool.
The opening ceremony will start at 11am. Public admission will begin at 10.15am. Members of the public who have obtained admission tickets are advised to attend the ceremony as scheduled. Those who are unable to turn up on the day should pass their tickets to relatives and friends who can attend to avoid wastage.
Members of the public may call 2570 8347 or 2890 5824 for enquiries.
The opening ceremony is a highlight event of "Vibrant Hong Kong" under the citywide "Hong Kong: Our Home" Campaign.
The redeveloped Victoria Park Swimming Pool has been upgraded to provide indoor heated pool facilities for year-round use. It meets international standards and is suitable for hosting local, regional and international competitions of aquatic sports including swimming, diving, water polo and synchronised swimming.
The unique design of the new pool complex features a streamlined exterior wall running alongside the trees in Victoria Park. It also uses a variety of energy-saving measures, and extensive tree planting has boosted the level of greenery.
By providing a swimming venue for recreational use by the general public as well as for staging high-level and international competitions, the new Victoria Park Swimming Pool is conducive to local sports development.
Ends/Friday, November 15, 2013
Issued at HKT 11:33
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