XN000022-1992-08-15 — Page 2

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 1992

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SPEECH BY GOVERNOR AT OPENING CEREMONY OF JUNIOR MEN'S SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS

THE FOLLOWING IS FULL TEXT OF A SPEECH BY THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE FUJIFILM WORLD JUNIOR MEN'S SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS 1992 THIS (SATURDAY) AFTERNOON:

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

I AM DELIGHTED то HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY IN OPENING THIS CHAMPIONSHIPS TO WELCOME, ON BEHALF OF THE HONG KONG SQUASH RACKETS ASSOCIATION AND ON BEHALF OF ALL THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, THOSE WHO COME FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD TO TAKE PART IN THIS CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH US. WE OFFER THEM ALL OUR HOSPITALITY AND WE ARE SURE THAT, AS WELL AS ENJOYING THE CHAMPIONSHIPS, YOU ENJOY THE DAYS THAT YOU SPEND WITH US IN HONG KONG AS WELL.

I HAVE TO CONFESS AT THE OUTSET THAT I HAVEN'T PLAYED SQUASH SINCE I WAS AT UNIVERSITY AND THEN I WAS A PRETTY INADEQUATE PLAYER. I NEVER HAD THAT BRUTAL DRIVE WHICH I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN TO BE: ESSENTIAL TO PLAY SQUASH REALLY WELL. I KNOW THAT SQUASH, LIKE ALL GREAT GAMES, IS MORE THAN JUST A SPORT, SOME OF YOU MAY RECALL THE WORDS OF THE LATE BILL SHANKLEY, THE MANAGER OF LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB, WHO ONCE SAID THAT FOOTBALL ISN'T A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, IT'S MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT. AND FROM MY EXPERIENCE,

THOSE OF MY FRIENDS WHO STILL PLAY SQUASH WELL INTO MIDDLE LIFE AND BEYOND FEEL ABOUT IT AS BILL SHANKLEY FELT ABOUT FOOTBALL.

CERTAINLY IT'S A GAME WHICH HAS MANY SUPPORTERS, ENTHUSIASTIC PLAYERS HERE IN HONG KONG. WE'VE BEEN PLAYING SQUASH FOR WELL OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AND TODAY I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE 600 SQUASH COURTS, 3,000 OR MORE MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG SQUASH RACKETS ASSOCIATION AND ABOUT 100,000 PEOPLE WHO IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, PERHAPS SOME ALMOST AS BADLY AS ME, PLAY SQUASH THEMSELVES. SO WE ARE VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT SQUASH AND THAT IS WHY I AM SURE IT'S WHOLLY APPROPRIATE THAT WE ABOUT SQUASH AND THAT IS WHY I AM SURE IT'S WHOLLY APPROPRIATE THAT WE SHOULD BE THE VENUE FOR THIS IMPORTANT CHAMPIONSHIPS.

I TOO WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE TO HOLD THIS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HONG KONG. I WOULD LIKE ΤΟ JOIN MR MURRAY IN THANKING THOSE WHO'VE WORKED SO HARD ΤΟ ORGANISE THE CHAMPIONSHIPS. I KNOW HOW MUCH EFFORT HAS BEEN INVOLVED. AND OF COURSE I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERLINE THE IMPORTANT ROLE PLAYED BY THOSE WHO IN VARIOUS WAYS HAVE SPONSORED THIS

THE FUJIFILM, WHO HAVE GIVEN US THEIR COMMERCIAL SPONSORSHIP, THEIR PRIVATE PATRONAGE IS SO IMPORTANT TO THIS CHAMPIONSHIPS; THE HONG KONG SPORTS DEVELOPMENT BOARD; AND OF COURSE THE URBAN COUNCIL WHO DO MUCH ΤΟ IMPROVE AND RAISE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. SO TO ALL OF THEM I SAY A VERY WARM THANK YOU.

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BUT ABOVE ALL I SAY TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE TAKING PART IN THE CHAMPIONSHIPS, OR WATCHING THE CHAMPIONSHIPS, THAT WE HOPE YOU'LL HAVE VERY ENJOYABLE FEW DAYS, WE HOPE THAT YOU ENJOY YOURSELF SO MUCH THAT YOU'LL COME BACK TO HONG KONG MANY TIMES IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH IN DEED.

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