17
Recreation
IN the early post-war years claims on public funds to establish essential social services left little for the lighter side of living, and it has been only in the last 10 years or so that serious attempts have been made to provide the public of Hong Kong with adequate facilities for recreation. As a result of a series of ambitious pro- grammes, the community is being provided at an ever increasing pace with an attractive range of parks and playgrounds, swimming pools and bathing beaches.
Swimming in fact provided one of the biggest sporting events of the year, the 56th annual cross-harbour swim. Six hundred and twenty-eight swimmers-97 more than last year-cascaded into the harbour at Kowloon Public Pier for the 1,550 yard pull through choppy water to Queen's Pier on Hong Kong Island. The race was won for the second year in succession by 16-year-old Ronnie Wong Man-chui, with a time of 21 minutes 31.6 seconds. The women's section was won by Helena Tso Wong-hing (who was placed third in the previous year). Her time was 28 minutes 31.2 seconds. Despite rough conditions and a strong current, only 25 swimmers failed to complete the course and were picked up by escorting craft.
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Hong Kong sent a small contingent of six yachtsmen, three swimmers and three marksmen to the Mexico Olympic Games. There were no medals but the team performed creditably, several recording their best-ever individual performances.
In recent years traditional favourites such as mahjong have been joined by an ever-widening variety of diversions in Hong Kong. Indoor bowling of the ten-pin variety, for instance, has proved very popular in the few years since it was introduced.
Horse racing at Happy Valley attracts many thousands during the racing season which runs from October to May. The growing popularity of golf in the Colony was reflected in this year's Hong Kong Open Championship which, with prizemoney totalling
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