XN000022-1985-09-01 — Page 12

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1985

MORE SQUASH COURTS IN THE PIPELINE

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SQUASH HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR SPORT IN HONG KONG, PARTICULARLY AMONG THE YOUNGER GENERATION, DURING RECENT YEARS.

THIS IS REFLECTED IN THE HIGH USAGE RATE OF THE SQUASH COURTS NOW MANAGED BY THE URBAN COUNCIL.

STATISTICS SHOW THAT IN JULY THIS YEAR, THE USAGE RATE OF THE FOUR COURTS AT VICTORIA PARK AND THE THREE COURTS WITH FULL AIR-CONDITIONING AT QUEEN ELIZABETH STADIUM WAS 100 PER CENT.

THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY THE SINGLE COURT IN THE ABERDEEN COMPLEX INDOOR GAMES HALL (99.7 PER CENT), THE FIVE COURTS AT THE KOWLOON TSAI PARK (98 PER CENT) AND THE THREE COURTS AT THE LAI CHI KOK PARK (97.4 PER CENT).

THE THREE SQUASH COURTS WHICH HAVE RECENTLY BEEN OPENED FOR PUBLIC USE AT MORSE PARK ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO BE HEAVILY USED. THEY ARE FULLY AIR CONDITIONED AND ARE EQUIPPED WITH A SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM TO SUPPLY HOT WATER FOR PLAYERS.

TO CATER FOR THE INCREASING NEED FOR SUCH FACILITIES IN HONG KONG, THE URBAN COUNCIL IS CURRENTLY BUILDING A TWO-STOREY SQUASH CENTRE AT VICTORIA BARRACKS AND AN INDOOR GAMES HALL IN WAN CHAI, NEXT TO THE WAN CHAI TRAINING POOL.

THE SQUASH CENTRE WILL CONSIST OF 18 COURTS, OF WHICH ONE WILL BE USED AS AN EXHIBITION COURT FOR MAJOR TOURNAMENTS. THE EXHIBITION COURT WILL HAVE GLASS WALLS ON THREE SIDES AND A STAND FOR SOME 350 SPECTATORS. THE PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED EARLY NEXT YEAR.

AS FOR THE INDOOR GAMES HALL IN WAN CHAI, IT WILL HAVE SEVEN SQUASH COURTS AND AN EXHIBITION COURT WITH A SPECTATOR STAND. THIS PROJECT IS SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION BY EARLY 1987.

IN ADDITION, A NUMBER OF SQUASH COURTS WILL ALSO BE INCORPORATED IN THE INDOOR GAMES HALLS AND SPORTS GROUNDS NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT KOWLOON BAY, TO KWA WAN, BOUNDARY STREET, HIU KWONG STREET AND HAMMER HILL ROAD.

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