XN000022-1977-05-22 — Page 4

SUNDAY, MAY 22, 1977

1

ACTIVITIES ORGANISED BY

RECREATION AND SPORT SERVICE

PROVE POPULAR ******

A GROUP OF ELDERLY MEN AND WOMEN TAKE A CALCULATED STEP FORWARD, SLOWLY SWING THEIR EXTENDED FRAGILE ARMS FROM RIGHT TO LEFT AND BRING THEM TO REST. THEY START THE MOVEMENTS AGAIN CHANGING THE PATTERN BUT KEEPING THE TEMPO AND GRACE OF TAI CHI CHUAN OR SHADOW BOXING.

ONE CAN OBSERVE THIS EARLY MORNING RITUAL -- SOMETIMES JOINED BY THE YOUNG AND THE MIDDLE-AGED THROUGHOUT VARIOUS PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS IN HONG KONG. IT IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING AND MOST POPULAR RECREATION ACTIVITIES ORGANISED AND PROMOTED BY THE RECREATION AND SPORT SERVICE OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

IN THE TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS OF ITS EXISTENCE, THE SERVICE HAS ORGANISED MANY TAI CHI CLASSES AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER EVENTS SUCH AS OUTINGS, SPORTS AND GAMES FOR A TOTAL OF ABOUT 327,378 PEOPLE -- INCLUDING THE HANDICAPPED OF ALL AGES.

DESPITE ITS RELATIVELY BRIEF HISTORY, THE ACTIVITIES IT PROVIDES ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAŘ.

IN THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1976-77 A TOTAL OF 192,382 PEOPLE JOINED THE PROGRAMMES ORGANIZED BY THE SERVICE, AN INCREASE OF 42 PER CENT OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S FIGURE OF 134,996, OR 92 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH ITS FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION.

THE SERVICE CAME INTO BEING IN OCTOBER 1974 AS A RESULT OF GROWING AWARENESS IN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NEED TO PROVIDE MORE SPORTS AND RECREATION FACILITIES AND PROGRAMMES FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY - NOT ONLY THE YOUNG PEOPLE AT WORK BUT ALSO THE OLDER PEOPLE.

HENCE THIS NEW GOVERNMENT RECREATION AND SPORT SERVICE SET ABOUT ITS AIMS:-

* TO PROVIDE A STRUCTURE FOR OVERALL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICAL RECREATION AND SPORT ACTIVITIES FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY BASED ON DISTRICTS-

* TO ASSESS DISTRICT NEEDS IN THE RECREATION AND

SPORT FIELD AND TO CO-ORDINATE A DISTRICT POLICY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE DISTRICTS AND

* TO PROMOTE TO THE FULLEST POSSIBLE EXTENT PHYSICAL,

RECREATIONAL AND SPORTS ACTIVITIES IN EACH DISTRICT, ENCOURAGING WIDE PARTICIPATION.

IN ITS FIRST YEAR-AND-A-HALF OF OPERATION SIX DISTRICTS WERE SERVICED BY A RECREATION AND SPORT OFFICER. THESE DISTRICTS WERE KWUN TONG, SHAM SHUI PO, WONG TAI SIN, HONG KONG EAST, HONG KONG WEST AND YUEN LONG.

SINCE THEN ALL 11 OTHER DISTRICTS - WAN CHAI HÙNG RÙNG SOUTHERN, MONG KOK, YAU MA TEI, KOWLOON CITY, TSUEN WAN, TUEN MUN, TAI PO, SHA TIN, SAI KUNG AND CUTLYING ISLANDS HAVE BEEN

INCLUDED.