410 Recreation, Sport and the Arts
Recreational and Sports Venues
Hong Kong Stadium
The Hong Kong Stadium is Hong Kong's largest sports venue, with seating accommodation for 40 000 people. It is used mainly for football and international rugby matches, large-scale community events and variety shows. More than 358 000 people attended 34 events in the stadium in 2010. The major events of 2010 were the popular annual rugby tournament, 'Hong Kong Sevens', the Asian Football Confederation Cup match between South China (Hong Kong) and Al Riffa (Bahrain), and the Xtep Cup, an invitation football match between the Hong Kong League XI and the English football club, Birmingham City.
Water Sports Centres and Holiday Camps
The LCSD manages five water sports centres: Chong Hing, Tai Mei Tuk, Jockey Club Wong Shek, St Stephen's Beach and Stanley Main Beach. It also runs four holiday camps, the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village, Sai Kung Outdoor Recreation Centre, Tso Kung Tam Outdoor Recreation Centre, and Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village. In 2010, a total of 123 642 people participated in events at the water sports centres and 521 089 visited or stayed at the holiday camps.
Other Sports and Recreational Venues
The LCSD manages 89 sports centres, 37 swimming pool complexes, 256 tennis courts, 290 squash courts, 25 sports grounds, four golf-driving ranges and two public riding schools.
Six major new recreation and sports projects were completed in 2010. These are the Ngau Chi Wan Recreation Ground, Ma On Shan Waterfront Promenade, Swimming Pool Complex in Tung Chung and open space sites in Kwun Tong, Tsing Yi and Tung Chung. Works for 18 other major projects across Hong Kong are under
way.
Beaches and Swimming Pools
Swimming is one of Hong Kong's most popular summer pastimes. The LCSD manages 41 beaches: 12 on Hong Kong Island and 29 in the New Territories, and 37 public swimming pool complexes. In 2010, some 10.43 million people used the beaches and 8.55 million visited public swimming pools. Lifeguard services are provided during the swimming season. Lifeguards are also on duty during the winter at the four most popular beaches, Deep Water Bay Beach, Golden Beach, Clear Water Bay Second Beach and Silverstrand Beach.
Parks Managed by LCSD
The LCSD manages 1 530 parks and gardens of different sizes, including 25 major parks.
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, the oldest public gardens in Hong Kong, occupy an area of 5.6 hectares, overlooking the Central District of Hong