​The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) held the Launching Ceremony of the Olympics Focal Site at the Secondary Hall of the Kowloon Park Sports Centre today (July 26). The Olympics Focal Site located at designated sports centres in 18 districts will open tomorrow (July 27) for members of the public to watch the competitions and show their support for the national team and Hong Kong athletes as they strive for excellence at the Olympic Games.
      
     Speaking at the ceremony, the Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, said that the 2024 Paris Olympics Games (POG) will commence today (Paris time). The Hong Kong Delegation has sent 35 athletes who have obtained qualifications for 13 sports. Mr Lau said like other Hong Kong people, he is looking forward to seeing Hong Kong athletes showcase their talents in the competitions. He added that similar to the broadcasting arrangements of the Tokyo Olympics, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has procured the broadcasting rights of the 2024 POG and Paralympic Games (PPG) in Hong Kong and granted the rights to Radio Television Hong Kong and three local licensed television broadcasters to broadcast the Games without charges, allowing members of the public to watch the Games for free and support the athletes. The four broadcasters will provide an aggregate of at least 1 000 hours of coverage on Olympic Games events, broadcast all Olympic Games events competed by Hong Kong athletes, produce programmes for promoting the POG and PPG, as well as produce and broadcast programmes for promoting the development of sports in Hong Kong within 12 months after the end of the POG and PPG.

     Athletes attending the ceremony included Hong Kong table tennis athlete Minnie Soo, former member of the Hong Kong Men's Seven Salom Yiu, former members of the Hong Kong Cycling Team Leung Ka-yu and Domino Chau, and former member of the Hong Kong Fencing Team Lo Shan-shan. They participated in sports demonstrations as well as shared their experiences of the training during the ceremony. Participation activities were also held after the ceremony to enhance the understanding of the Olympic sports. The video of the ceremony will be available on the dedicated website www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ofs/ for public viewing.
      
     The 2024 POG will be held from July 26 to August 11 (Paris time). Due to time difference between Paris and Hong Kong, the 18 Olympics Focal Sites will be open from tomorrow (Hong Kong time) until the closing of the Games. The opening hours will be from 8am to 11pm in general. To enable the public to visit the Focal Sites and watch the Games, information of the actual opening times of the Focal Sites will be announced on the dedicated website (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ofs/location.html). Interested parties are welcome to check for the updated schedule. Details of the broadcasting arrangements for the 2024 PPG will be announced on the dedicated website later.
      
     Exhibition panels featuring Hong Kong athletes participating in the Games will also be displayed at the Olympics Focal Site. Members of the public are invited to visit the exhibition.
      
     To continue encouraging the public to participate in sports while enjoying the Games, a series of Olympic Games sports videos, which feature introduction and demonstration of sports skills by elite athletes, have been uploaded to the dedicated website to allow members of the public to experience the joyful atmosphere while watching the Games.

Ends/Friday, July 26, 2024
Issued at HKT 19:28

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