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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL-2nd October 1969.
[MR WANG] Motion
achievement; some find recreation in service to sport helping to organize and manage, while others look for social relationships through physical activities; and still more gain their enjoyment from watching and talk- ing about sport.
In all its aspects sport is part of our way of life.”
The question I now put is "Are we yet prepared to think of pro- vision of facilities for sport and physical recreation in sufficiently generous terms?"
A great deal has been done in Hong Kong in recent years in the provision of these facilities but we must admit that we are still a long way behind the demand and an increasing demand it will obviously be.
As Your Excellency has reminded us the growth in the number of our young people aged from 15-20 will continue to increase through the 70's*. Then also, we have entered an era of dramatic evolution in our material progress. Now that living standards are rising, more and more of our hard-working people, young and old, will be looking or should be looking for leisure-time activities and enjoyment.
Consequently, it is obvious that more abundant and even more better and more sophisticated facilities for recreation and leisure hour activities must be provided for them. All these call for comprehensive, and imaginative planning and due recognition that this must be a responsibility of government.
What is to be done about it? Past achievement is one thing but the meeting of a challenge is another, and that there is a challenge- a challenge which will continue to confront us-there can be no doubt.
Perhaps we may be assisted by taking a look at what is being done overseas. In the United Kingdom there are two inter-related Councils which play a very important part in the field of recreation.
In Britain, just as in Hong Kong, there are many government departments and many voluntary bodies, concerned in one way or another with sport and physical recreation. To assist and co-ordinate all their efforts there is the first of these two Councils I have mentioned:
The Central Council of Physical Recreation. With financial support from the Government this Council maintains a strong staff and is able to offer its services to any organization which asks for them. The help provided in this way is widespread, covering administration, coaching schemes, courses and the formation of associations and clubs. This
* Page 7.