412 Recreation, Sport and the Arts
Sporting Achievements
Hong Kong athletes continued to achieve impressive results at international sports events in 2011. A particular highlight was the achievement of the Hong Kong delegation to the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, where athletes achieved three bronze medals in athletics 4x100 metres relay, fencing and gymnastics. Athletes with intellectual disabilities performed with distinction at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Greece, winning 58 gold, 27 silver and 30 bronze medals.
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Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
The Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong was founded in 1950 and recognised as a National Olympic Committee (NOC) by International Olympic Committee in 1951. It changed its name to 'Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China' (SF&OC) on March 8, 1999. The federation is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Council of Asia, the Association of National Olympic Committee and the East Asian Games Association and has been responsible for organising Hong Kong's participation in all major international multi-sports games such as the Olympic Games (Summer and Winter), Asian Games (Summer and Winter), and East Asian Games. With a membership of 75 National Sports Associations (NSAs) and sports organisations, it represents the collective voice of the Hong Kong sports community.
Members of the federation are NSAs, which are in turn affiliated to their Asian federations (AFS) and international federations (IFS). They are empowered to co-ordinate and conduct a wide range of activities related to their sports, ranging from recreational programmes for beginners to training elite athletes. They also organise and sanction participation in overseas multi-sports competitions and train coaches and referees. The NSAs implement and enforce local and international rules and regulations and represent Hong Kong at meetings of the IFS and the AFS. The federation has co-ordinated a four-month 'Festival of Sport' each year for the past half century. More than 80 of the festival's sporting activities were organised by over 60 NSAs to promote 'sport for all'. It also organises extensive educational programmes for sports leaders, administrators, coaches and technical officials free of charge, notably through the Hong Kong Olympic Academy which offers free sports management and sport science courses and programmes. The federation launched a scheme for retired athletes, called 'Hong Kong Athletes Career and Education Programme' in July 2008 in response to a proposal made by the Chief Executive in his 2007 Policy Address.
The scheme provides financial support from the Government and commercial sponsors for Hong Kong athletes to obtain an education and a career after retiring from athletic life. More than 237 athletes from 41 NSAs have been receiving support from the scheme in the past three years.
The Hong Kong Anti-Doping Committee, established as an independent working group, under the auspices of the federation, continued to maintain a
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