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study and discuss the different situations. In addition to the Hong Kong Stadium, Council venues such as the Kowloon Park swimming pool are suitable for international sports competitions. So, if the motion is carried today, we should formulate a concrete approach. I hope Mr. Ronnie WONG, the mover and the Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee, will take the initiative instead of handling applications for venues passively. We should be proactive in coordinating and organising events with a view to improving our tourist industry, hotel industry and the usage rate of Council venues for the benefit of our economy.
I support the motion. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman (in Cantonese):—Those who have registered to speak have spoken. Would Mr. Ronnie WONG like to respond? If so, I must remind Mr. WONG that he has taken 6 minutes to introduce his motion so that he can only have 9 more minutes to exercise his right of reply.
Mr. Ronnie Wong Man-chiu (in Cantonese):—I thank fellow colleagues for their support, but then I have a few points of response and clarification.
I would like to thank Ms. Carlye Tsui for the suggestion of lending me support to relax the principle of responsibility of self-financing in staging events. May I reiterate here that in certain cases, although the Council sponsored by providing funds or venues, the small tokens were paid back by proceeds. For the whole of Hong Kong, united efforts yield the most gain. I hope the public realise this.
As for the suggestions of Ms. Grace Au and Mr. Tim S. Manuel Chan to strengthen liaison with other organisations, government authorities and Tourist Association, Sports Development Board etc., I have considered putting them in when drafting my speech. However, if I name the groups, the list may be very long. So I opted to say simply at the end of my speech that to realise the target of my motion, the sincere cooperation of various sectors is required. By various sectors, I refer to the Tourist Association, Sports Development Board and for some of the activities the Marine Department and the Police Force.
I share Ms. Grace AU's view that we should make arranging recreation and sports activities for our citizens our priority before we bring in international major sports events. However, I want to remind you that major international events held in Hong Kong give us a chance to see high standard competitions or events. This chance in turn brings about benefit.
I want to thank Mr. Benedict LEE for his mention of sponsors. I think the Recreation Select Committee will adequately consider the opinions of fellow colleagues before giving suggestions and studying with the Department on how to proceed proactively. Thank you for your support.
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