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The following is issued on behalf of the Major Sports Events Committee:
June will definitely be an exhilarating month of major sports events. The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has awarded "M" Mark status to the following major sports events to be held in June - "The 9th Hong Kong DanceSport Festival - WDSF GrandSlam Hong Kong 2016" (June 4 to 5), the "CCB (Asia) Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races" (June 10 to 12) and the "FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix - HK 2016 presented by Watsons" (June 24 to 26).
The Chairman of the MSEC, Mr William Ko, said today (May 30) 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," said Mr Ko.
The "M" Mark System was launched in 2004 to help local national sports associations 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 11 in 2015. So far, around $96 million has been approved to support recognised "M" Mark events.
For details of other "M" Mark events, please visit www.mevents.org.hk. The "M" Mark applications for smartphone users are available for downloading from iTunes as well as Google Play.
Ends/Monday, May 30, 2016
Issued at HKT 11:04
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