21
Sport and Recreation
THE year was memorable for sports enthusiasts. Colony repre- sentatives won two silver medals at the Asian Games in Djakarta; a number of internationally known footballers and cricketers were seen in action in Hong Kong; new records were made in athletics and leading badminton players excelled in the Asian Gold Cup competition in Kuala Lumpur. The silver medals were won by Miss Tsui Yuen-yuen, who was partnered by a Japanese player to reach the women's doubles tennis final, and by Misses Baguio Wong Bik-yiu and Fan Sin-kwan, who reached the table tennis final.
Most field sports in Hong Kong are played during the winter months when the weather is comparatively cool and dry, while in the summer the emphasis is on aquatic pastimes such as swimming, water skiing and boating. Association football is undoubtedly the Colony's most popular sport and in addition to regular local fixtures Hong Kong sides meet top class visiting teams each season. This year visitors included Japan, Peru, Korea, the British Army, Germany and Thailand. In the annual interport match at South China Stadium in November, Hong Kong Chinese regained the Ho Ho Cup by defeating the Malayan Chinese 3-0. The following day the Combined Chinese beat the Malayans 2-0 in a friendly game. In recent years the sport has suffered from the activities of illegal bookmakers who are believed to have influenced the results of some games, but the Hong Kong Football Association has readily co-operated with the police to combat these abuses and it is hoped that eventually they will be stamped out. At the Associa- tion's annual meeting in September the President, Dr the Hon A. M. Rodrigues, said that the participation of 20 teams in the youth league compared with eight the previous season, was a very encouraging sign.
The Rugby football season started with a visit from the Paris University touring team, who were held to a draw in a good game. The Hong Kong Rugby Football Club continued to dominate the