RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
398
Books Registration Office
Under the Books Registration Ordinance, the Books Registration Office is responsible for the registration of books first printed, produced or published locally. A bibliography of registered books is gazetted at quarterly intervals. In 1994, a total of 6 550 books and 9 950 periodicals were registered with the office.
The office is the local agent for the International Standard Book Numbering System (ISBN). During the year, 184 new publishers' identifiers conforming to ISBN were issued.
Sports and Recreation
=
Sports and recreational activities and facilities are many and varied in Hong Kong. The Urban and Regional Councils develop and manage facilities which include sports grounds, playgrounds, indoor games halls, holiday camps, swimming pools and beaches. The two councils also organise training courses, sporting competitions and other activities for people of all ages and abilities, and encourage passive recreation by providing parks and landscaped open spaces within their respective areas.
The Sir David Trench Fund for Recreation disburses grants for the construction and improvement of recreational and sporting facilities, and for the purchase of equipment.
- Hong Kong Sports Development Board
The Hong Kong Sports Development Board is a statutory body responsible for promoting and developing sports and physical recreation in Hong Kong. In 1993-94, $60.9 million was allocated to the board. Of this, over $32 million was used for sports development purposes which included funding support for the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Com- mittee of Hong Kong and the national sports associations for their staff salaries, office expenses and sports development programmes. The allocation was also used for special projects undertaken by the board, including international exchange programmes, com- munity sports activities, and the organisation in conjunction with the University of Canberra and the Hong Kong Sports Institute of degree courses in sports administration and coaching in the territory.
The concept of identifying target sports and providing them with additional resources for development is one of the fundamentals of Hong Kong's sports policy. Seven target sports have been identified: badminton, football, rowing, squash, swimming, table tennis and windsurfing. Others will be added to the list on a performance-related basis.
Progress has been made in the coach education field since the inception in 1991 of the Hong Kong Coaching Committee. The committee was jointly formed by the Hong Kong Sports Development Board, the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Sports Institute. The major component of the programme is the Hong Kong Coach Accreditation Programme.
The support given to this initiative by national sports associations bodes well for future development. In 1993-94, about $3.5 million was allocated to these programmes.
The Sports Aid Foundation Fund and the Sports Aid for the Disabled Fund, administered by the board, increased substantially its level of support to leading athletes. A total of 125 athletes who satisfied the criteria were grant-aided in 1993-94. The total allocation exceeded $3.6 million.