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A delegation of Mainland athletes who won gold medals at the London Olympics will give sports demonstrations during their three-day courtesy visit to Hong Kong. The delegation, led by the Chinese Olympic Committee, will arrive in Hong Kong next Friday (August 24).
The visit is co-organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), and is also a celebratory event to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR. The Home Affairs Bureau, the SF&OC, and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) held a press conference today (August 13) to announce the details of the visit.
The Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Raymond Young, said, "The national team of athletes has shown superb skills and unswerving commitment to bringing honour to our country at the Olympics, a sports arena of the highest standard. We are all excited to see their outstanding achievements."
Mr Young said he hopes that the public will show full support for the visit of the London Olympics' Mainland gold medallists delegation and appreciate their brilliant sports demonstrations, as well as cherish the chance to share in their experience of success.
He announced that on the morning of August 25, the national athletes will be arranged into three groups to meet the public. Two groups of athletes will give badminton and table tennis demonstrations at Queen Elizabeth Stadium and a diving demonstration at Kowloon Park Swimming Pool. Another group of athletes will take part in an exchange session with youth uniformed groups at Siu Sai Wan Sports Centre.
The Mainland Olympic Gold Medallists Extravaganza, the climax of the visit, will be held in the evening of the same day at Hong Kong Stadium, where the public can get up close with the athletes. The delegation will leave Hong Kong on the afternoon of August 26.
The Vice President of the SF&OC, Mr Victor Hui, said that the Hong Kong Badminton Association, the Hong Kong Table Tennis Association and the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association under the SF&OC will co-organise the badminton, table tennis and diving demonstrations with the LCSD. The demonstrations will enable the public to see the athletes up close, and, in turn, promote sports for all and encourage the public to take part in sporting events.
Mr Hui, on behalf of the sports sector in Hong Kong, expressed his gratitude to the London Olympics' Mainland gold medallists for visiting Hong Kong to promote sports exchange.
The Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung, announced details of the sports demonstrations and the Extravaganza at the press conference today.
The badminton and table tennis demonstrations will be held on August 25 from 9.30am to 11.30am at Queen Elizabeth Stadium while the diving demonstration will be held on the same day from 10am to 11.30am at the Kowloon Park Swimming Pool.
Mrs Fung said spectators would not only have a chance to watch the excellent performances of the Mainland Olympic gold medallists at close range, but also have a chance to join a lucky draw to win badminton and table tennis rackets autographed by members of the national badminton and table tennis teams, as well as T-shirts autographed by members of the national diving team.
Because of the expected popularity of the two sports events and the Extravaganza, the LCSD has made special ticket arrangements for the events.
A total of 3 448 tickets for the two sports demonstrations will be put up for public sale on August 15 (Wednesday) from 10am onwards. The tickets, each priced at a standard rate of $20 and with free seating, will be evenly distributed for sale at URBTIX outlets at four locations in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories. The four locations are Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Sha Tin Town Hall and Tuen Mun Town Hall. Each location will have around 800 tickets available for sale. Due to the limited number of seats, each person can purchase up to two tickets (i.e. two tickets for one sports demonstration or one ticket for each of the two sports demonstrations). Only cash will be accepted to shorten the queuing time for buying tickets.
As for the tickets for the Mainland Olympic Gold Medallists Extravaganza, 26 500 tickets have been set aside for public sale at all URBTIX outlets on August 16 (Thursday) from 10am onwards. Members of the public can visit any of these 43 outlets throughout Hong Kong in person to purchase the tickets. Each person can purchase up to four tickets at a time. The tickets are also priced at a standard rate of $20 each with free seating.
Unsold tickets for the Extravaganza can be purchased on the Internet via the URBTIX website at www.urbtix.hk or via the credit card telephone booking hotline 2111 5999 the following day (August 17) from 10am onwards, as well as at URBTIX outlets.
In addition, more than 4 000 tickets have been reserved for distribution by the Social Welfare Department for the underprivileged. Out of the total, 500 tickets are reserved for the sports demonstrations and the remaining 3 600 are for the Extravaganza.
It is expected that the public response to the tickets for the sports demonstrations will be overwhelming and, due to the limited number of tickets available, there will be long queues at various ticket outlets. Mrs Fung called on the queuing public to follow the latest ticket situation as announced by ground staff at the outlets.
Arrangements are being made for the sports demonstrations and the Extravaganza to be broadcast so that those who are unable to secure tickets can still watch the events on TV at home.
For enquiries about the sports demonstrations and the Extravaganza, please call 1823 or browse the website of the LCSD at www.lcsd.gov.hk.
Ends/Monday, August 13, 2012
Issued at HKT 18:39
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