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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

ADDRESS BY VICE-CHAIRMAN

VICE-CHAIRMAN (in English):—Ladies and Gentlemen, the meeting is called to order. The debate on the consultancy report on sport in Hong Kong "The Way Ahead' which was motion No. 4 on the agenda of Tuesday's meeting

on the 13th of September will now start. I call on the proposer Mr. Samuel WONG.

MOTION

1. MR. SAMUEL P. W. WONG, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COM- MITTEE, moved the following motion:

'Moved that this Council takes notes of the consultancy report on sport in Hong Kong "The Way Ahead" and directs the Secretary to convey the views of Members on the report to the Governments.'

He said (in Cantonese):—In September 1987 the Government commissioned Mr. E. B. JONES, M.B.E., to prepare a report on the development of sport in Hong Kong. Over the six months period Mr. JONES took to prepare his report, he spent approximately 3 months in Hong Kong interviewing people directly involved in sport, seeing selected facilities and discussing with sports associa tions, government and municipal councils alike, the problems each faced. The results of these discussions are set out in his report 'The Way Ahead'. The report, copies of which have already been issued to members, contains a number of recommendations intended to advance sport in Hong Kong. Many of the points raised have implications for the Urban Council and its activities in the field of recreation and sport, as was pointed out in Committee Paper REC/49/88.

The Urban Council has long taken the lead in the promotion of sport in Hong Kong: through the provision of sports facilities suitable for both novices and world class athletes; through the provision of funding for training and com- petitions organized by the sports associations; and through the organization of training courses in many different sports. The Council record in this field is one of which Members can justifiably be proud.

In the last five years alone 17 indoor games halls, 3 swimming pool complexes, 67 squash courts, 2 international standard athletics stadia and many other sports facilities have been built. The total cost of these developments has been $500M. In addition over the same period the Council has spent approxi- mately $15.6M in promoting various sports through the 'Learn to play' programme as well as $5.5M per year in direct support of Sports Associations.

The Council is already committed to expenditure of $1,400M in the next 5 years on new sports facilities including the Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground, Hammer Hill Leisure Pool, Chai Wan IGH, Tung Chau Street Park, the IGH

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and Park on Western Reclamation, and the Lai Chi Kok Park Stages I and II. A total of 107 Capital projects.

Mr. JONES has recognized the Council's traditionally leading role in the promotion of sport, and his proposals take this into account. However if all his proposals are adopted then Urban Council events and activities will be affected. Mr. JONES recommends the formation of a Sports Council as a totally independent sports body with power to promote and develop sports generally. My concern is that such a powerful and, presumably, influential body must recognize the authority and functions of the Council and must not interfere with these. I see the Sports Council primarily as a body which acts as a central source of technical advice on sports development and facility planning which could complement rather than conflict with the work of the Council.

There are many agencies involved in sport in Hong Kong. Apart from the 2 municipal councils, there are: the Municipal Services Branch and the Council for Recreation and Sport, the Jubilee Sports Centre and the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee. In addition, each sport has a national governing body, and often many affiliated clubs. There is, no doubt, a need to rationalize the role and activities of all these groups; in particular the non-

government agencies.

If it is decided by Government that a Sports Council should be set up, then it may be appropriate for such a body to assume many of the responsibilities currently undertaken by Municipal Services Branch, the Council for Recreation and Sport and Jubilee Sports Centre and to work closely with the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee and the Governing Bodies of Sport. However it would not be appropriate for such a body to encroach in any way on the work of the Urban Council.

Having said that, the Urban Council is not in any way, complacent and recognizes that there is a need to constantly review and improve the level of provision and standards of facilities and services provided for sports. This can best be achieved through upgrading venue management in Council facilities and improving the marketing of facilities. With this in mind, the Urban Services Department has prepared detailed proposals for the reorganization of the Leisure Services Division. Implementation of these proposals, which are aimed at achieving significant improvements in the quality of management at all levels, will require a significant expansion in the number of management staff deployed within this Division.

This points to an urgent need for training for people wanting to work in sports administration and venue management. Consideration should be given to the establishment of appropriate full time training courses in the Polytechnics and Universities.

If the Sports Council is set up, then this will increase the general demand for trained staff and will add further weight to the establishment of such courses.