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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1976

1976 ANTI-NARCOTICS CUP BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

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THE GOVERNMENT IS BRINGING ITS ANTI-DRUG MESSAGE TO BASKETBALL COURTS THIS WEEK WITH THE LAUNCHING OF THE 1976 ANTI-NARCOTICS CUP AND E.P. HO CUP BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT.

DETAILS OF THE TOURNAMENT, TO BE HELD IN ALL TEN CITY DISTRICTS OF HONG KONG ISLAND AND KOWLOON, WERE ANNOUNCED AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY.

ATTENDING THE PRESS CONFERENCE WERE MR. AUGUSTINE CHUI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HOME AFFAIRS DR. KARL STUMPF, CHAIRMAN OF THE PREVENTIVE EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE ACTION COMMITTEE AGAINST NARCOTICS (ACAN) MR. RAFAEL HUI, ACTING COMMISSIONER FOR NARCOTICS MR. CHAM SIU-LEUN, PRESIDENT OF THE HONG KONG AMATEUR BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION- AND MR. M.C. CASWELL, PRINCIPAL EDUCATION OFFICER OF THE RECREATION AND SPORT SERVICE.

THE TOURNAMENT, WHICH IS PART OF ACAN'S DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAMME THIS YEAR, IS AIMED AT ENCOURAGING YOUNG PEOPLE TO DEVELOP A GREATER INTEREST IN HEALTHY ACTIVITIES AS ALTERNATIVES TO DRUG ABUSE AND CREATING IN THEM AN AWARENESS OF THE DANGER OF DRUG ADDICTION.

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DURING THE TWO-MONTH-LONG TOURNAMENT, PUBLICITY WILL BE MOUNTED TO DRIVE HOME THE ANTI-DRUG MESSAGE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE DISTRICTS.

JOINTLY ORGANIZED BY THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, THE RECREATION AND SPORT SERVICE OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, THE HONG KONG AMATEUR BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION AND ACAN, THE TOURNAMENT IS OPEN TO YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 20.

A TOTAL OF 84 TEAMS HAVE ENTERED THE TOURNAMENT. THEY WILL BEGIN PLAYING THE PRELIMINARY ROUNDS WITHIN THEIR OWN DISTRICTS THIS WEEK. THE TOP TEAM FROM EACH OF THE TEN DISTRICTS WILL MEET IN THE SEMI-FINALS WHICH WILL BE PLAYED IN TWO SECTIONS FOUR TEAMS ON HONG KONG ISLAND AND SIX IN KOWLOON.

THE TWO WINNING TEAMS ON HONG KONG ISLAND AND THREE IN KOWLOON WILL THEN ENTER THE FINAL ROUND AND THE CHAMPION TEAM WILL BE AWARDED BOTH THE ANTI-NARCOTICS CUP AND THE E.P. HO CUP. THE WHOLE TOURNAMENT WILL BE CONDUCTED ON A SINGLE ROUND-ROBIN BASIS.

ALTOGETHER, MORE THAN 180 MATCHES WILL BE PLAYED DURING THE TOURNAMENT WHICH IS EXPECTED TO ATTRACT A LARGE NUMBER OF SPECTATORS.

MORE THAN 50,000 ANTI-DRUG PAMPHLETS HAVE BEEN PREPARED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE SPECTATORS AND BANNERS CARRYING THE SLOGAN OF THE TOURNAMENT WILL BE DISPLAYED AT THE BASKETBALL COURTS.

TOURNAMENT WAS FIRST JOINTLY HELD LAST YEAR UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, ACAN AND THE HONG KONG AMATEUR BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION. THE E.P. HO CUP WAS PROVIDED IN HONOUR OF THE FORMER DIRECTOR OF HOME AFFAIRS, MR. E.P. HO.

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