XN000022-1982-05-20 — Page 6

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1982

FIRST SPORTS MEDICINE SEMINAR HELD HERE

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HONG KONG'S FIRST SEMINAR ON SPORTS MEDICINE WAS HELD IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL CHAMBERS THIS AFTERNOON WITH THREE GUEST SPEAKERS FROM AN AMERICAN UNIVERSITY TAKING PART.

JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE RECREATION AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT AND THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, THE SEMINAR WAS OPENED BY THE DEPARTMENT'S COMMISSIONER, MR BARRIE WIGGHAM.

IN HIS OPENING ADDRESS, MR WIGGHAM SAID THE SEMINAR WAS IN A SENSE THE OFFICIAL +LAUNCHING OF A JOINT EFFORT TO DEVELOP SPORTS MEDICINE IN HONG KONG.

+ IT HAS TWO MAIN OBJECTIVES: FIRSTLY, SIMPLY TO BRING THE BROAD RANGE OF INTERESTED PARTIES TOGETHER AND SECONDLY, AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, TO PRESENT A SERIES OF LECTURES UNDER THE BROAD HEADING OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS MEDICINE, HE SAID.

MR WIGGHAM SAID THE RECREATION AND SPORT DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT HAD MADE A START AND IT HAD BEEN CONDUCTING PRELIMINARY

INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE CURRENT SITUATION HERE.

ALTHOUGH SOME GOOD WORK WAS BEING CARRIED OUT, CO-ORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION HAD BEEN LACKING, HE POINTED OUT.

+WE HAVE RECENTLY HELD USEFUL MEETINGS WITH MEMBERS OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION WITH INTEREST IN THIS PARTICULAR FIELD, + HE SAID.

+AS A RESULT, IT HAS BEEN DECIDED THAT, IN THE INITIAL STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT, THE EMPHASIS SHOULD BE ON EDUCATION OF THE SPORTING PUBLIC AS TO THE NEED FOR AND BENEFITS OF SPORTS MEDICINE, AND ON PREVENTIVE MEDICINE.+

+HOWEVER, AN ESSENTIAL PREREQUISITE TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS IS THAT THE ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS WHOM I HAVE ALREADY MENTIONED, AS WELL AS OTHERS NOT YET INVOLVED, SHOULD WORK TOGETHER AND POOL CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES TO FORM A BASE FROM WHICH TO PROCEED, MR WIGGHAM SAID.

+

FOLLOWING THE OPENING REMARKS, PROFESSOR CHO-YEE TO OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY THEN ADDRESSED THE PARTICIPANTS.

HE SAID WHILE HONG KONG WAS MAKING IMPRESSIVE ECONOMIC AND PHYSICAL PROGRESS, IT WAS NOT SURPRISING THAT THIS PROGRESS HAD CERTAIN UNDESIRABLE EFFECTS ON ITS PEOPLE.

THERE WAS SOME REASON TO SUSPECT THAT PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, OLD AND YOUNG, WERE SUBJECT TO RATHER SEVERE FORMS OF STRESS OF ONE KIND OR ANOTHER, WITH SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH, FITNESS, ACTIVITIES AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PEOPLE, PROFESSOR TO SAID.

/LE SAID