XN000022-1982-07-11 — Page 8

SUNDAY, JULY 11, 1982

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BIG INCREASE IN RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES PROVIDED BY RCD

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THE RECREATION AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT PROVIDED MORE THAN 7 700 RECREATIONAL AND SPORTING ACTIVITIES FOR OVER 600 000 PEOPLE OF VARIOUS AGES AND PHYSICAL ABILITIES IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR.

THIS REPRESENTS AN INCREASE IN ACTIVITIES OF 66 PER CENT OVER THE PRECEDING YEAR'S TOTAL OF ABOUT 4 670.

+OUR STATISTICS SHOW THAT THESE EVENTS ARE INCREASING EVERY YEAR WITH CORRESPONDING RISES IN THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID.

+AS AN EXAMPLE, THE MONTHLY AVERAGE OF PROGRAMMES ORGANISED BY THE DEPARTMENT'S RECREATION AND SPORT SERVICE (RSS) IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR WAS 650, WHILE FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR THE AVERAGE WAS 390.

+THE RSS WAS ESTABLISHED IN LATE 1974, AND AT THE END OF THE 1975-76 FINANCIAL YEAR OUR ACTIVITIES NUMBERED A MERE 735 WITH PARTICIPANTS AT 134 996.

+WHEN THIS IS COMPARED WITH LAST YEAR'S FIGURE, ONE CAN SEE CLEARLY THE EXTENT OF INCREASE IN OUR ACTIVITIES, HE SAID.

THE RSS ACTIVITIES, GROUPED INTO SEVEN CATEGORIES, ARE ATHLETICS AND AQUATIC SPORTS, TEAM GAMES, INDIVIDUAL GAMES, OUTDOOR PURSUITS, DANCE AND FITNESS, RECREATION SCHEME FOR SPECIAL GROUP AND OTHER PROJECTS.

TWO CATEGORIES WHICH ATTRACT WIDE PARTICIPATION ARE OUTDOOR PURSUITS, AND DANCE AND FITNESS.

FOR OUTDOOR PURSUITS, COVERING ACTIVITIES RANGING FROM HIKING IN WOODED AREAS TO SAILING, SOME 193 500 PEOPLE TOOK PART IN 4 000 EVENTS IN THE YEAR 1981-82, WHILE THE FIGURES FOR

THE PREVIOUS YEAR WERE ABOUT 139 750 AND 1 850 RESPECTIVELY.

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DANCE AND FITNESS EVENTS ARE DIVERSIFIED. THEY INCLUDE COURSES IN BALLROOM AND DISCO DANCING; TAI-CHI AND KUNG-FU TEACHINGS;

AND INSTRUCTIONS ON YOGA, GYMNASTICS AND TRAMPOLINING.

ABOUT 1 400 SUCH KEEP-FIT COURSES WERE ORGANISED IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, A RISE OF 73 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH 805 IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID FACTORY WORKERS AND OFFICE EMPLOYEES MAKE UP 80 PER CENT OF THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ORGANISED BY THE DEPARTMENT.

OTHERS, SUCH AS TODDLERS, THE ELDERLY AND THE HANDICAPPED ARE ALSO NOT FORGOTTEN, HE SAID.

+WE DO HAVE PROGRAMMES SPECIALLY ARRANGED FOR THE ELDERLY, AND FOR THE HANDICAPPED, WE ORGANISED 101 EVENTS FOR ABOUT 6 700 PARTICIPANTS IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR. HE ADDED.

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