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MOTION
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Ladies and gentlemen, the meeting is now called to order and the only item on our agenda is the debate on the demarcation of responsibilities between the Urban Council and the Sports Development Board. I will call upon Mr. PAO Ping-wing to move the motion.
1. MR. PAO PING-WING moved the following motion:-
'RESOLVED that this Council reaffirms and upholds the present demarcation of responsibilities with the Hong Kong Sports Development Board in order to provide better co-ordinated and diversified sports programmes in the best interest of the community at all levels.'
He said (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I wish to move the following motion in my name:
'RESOLVED that this Council reaffirms and upholds the present demarcation of responsibilities with the Hong Kong Sports Development Board in order to provide better co-ordinated and diversified sport programmes in the best interest of the community at all levels.'
Clause 25(1)(a) and (b) of the Urban Council Ordinance empowers the Council to establish and maintain places and facilities for recreation, relaxation, the performance of sports of any kind' and to 'provide, promote, sponsor, assist or collaborate with any person or groups of persons in the organizing or presenting of demonstrations, displays or competition of, and training for, sports.'
With this entrusted authority, the Council has all along been playing a very active role in the planning, provision and management of sports venues in the urban area as well as organizing recreation and sports activities for the general public. In 1993/94, the Council spent $246 million on the provision of recreation and sports facilities and another $288 million on their maintenance and management and on the organization of leisure and sports programmes. These statistics speak for themselves: the Urban Council's role and commitment in the promotion of sports and recreational activities in Hong Kong are as strong as ever and should not be slighted solely because of the establishment of a new sports corps which digresses from its own parameters and seeks to rival.
Sport is an activity for everybody in an open and healthy society like Hong Kong. We welcome the burgeoning of sports clubs and blossoming of sports development bodies. They all play an essential part in the promotion of sports in Hong Kong, either by introducing diversity and variety, or by making the activity widely available and popular, or by training up elites who represent Hong Kong in renowned international events.
It is in this spirit that this Council has welcomed the establishment of the Sports Development Board. Early in its inception stage back in 1989, however,
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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this Council was concerned that there might be instances of duplication which might result in the waste of public resources. Our concern was relayed to the Chief Secretary. We were repeatedly assured that the terms of reference of the Sports Development Board are designed to complement the functions of existing sports promotion bodies including the Municipal Councils, that the Sports Development Board will support and complement the work of the Councils without infringement or duplication, and that the Councils will continue to be responsible for the promotion of sports for the general public and the management of facilities in their respective regions.
This demarcation of responsibilities is in principle satisfactory and rational. It sets out how this Council should co-operate with the Sports Development Board which is charged with a different set of priorities and objectives. Like a pyramid, the Council should serve as the base with a broad coverage whereas the Sports Development Board should form the peak and develop the cream. Being fully aware of this relationship, we have all along been making efforts to accommodate the Sports Development Board's needs for facilities to enable it to achieve its objectives.
This equilibrium has recently been upset in particular in the areas of grassroots level sports activities. The Sports Development Board has embarked on projects to develop school sports programmes, organize district level sports programmes involving District Sports Associations and form a large number of venue-based sports clubs using Council facilities. These activities are all within this Council's jurisdiction and have serious implications on our on-going work.
The Sports Development Board's infringement in grassroots level sports activities has created confusion among service recipients, who do not know where to turn to when in need. In many instances the Sports Development Board also intervenes in our direct liaison with various sports associations. Many Council policies governing the use and rental of sports venues are designed to ensure maximum and fair utilisation and to regulate competing demands on this scarce resource. Concessions are meted out to the Sports Development Board in view of its important role in elite training. However the Sports Development Board has used such concessions to develop grassroots sports activities and has by so doing diluted the impact of the Council's policies. Moreover, the Sports Development Board's half-hearted generosity has also imposed unanticipated demands on the Council. Being given additional resources, many district sports associations look to the Council for assistance in organizing extra sports programmes.
Of course I agree that to be effective in the promotion of sports, there needs to be some flexibility in the kind of activities to be organized and the level of penetration. However, such encroachment onto the Council's work does not seem to stem from flexibility, which we are pleased to allow, but rather from a blurred vision of roles and an unhealthy attitude to compete for leadership in the sports field.
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Page 116 of 132
Page 115 of 132
228
MOTION
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Ladies and gentlemen, the meeting is now called to order and the only item on our agenda is the debate on the demarcation of responsibilities between the Urban Council and the Sports Development Board. I will call upon Mr. PAO Ping-wing to move the motion.
1. MR. PAO PING-WING moved the following motion:-
'RESOLVED that this Council reaffirms and upholds the present demarcation of responsibilities with the Hong Kong Sports Development Board in order to provide better co-ordinated and diversified sports programmes in the best interest of the community at all levels.'
He said (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I wish to move the following motion in my name:
'RESOLVED that this Council reaffirms and upholds the present demarcation of responsibilities with the Hong Kong Sports Development Board in order to provide better co-ordinated and diversified sport programmes in the best interest of the community at all levels.'
Clause 25(1)(a) and (b) of the Urban Council Ordinance empowers the Council to establish and maintain places and facilities for recreation, relaxation, the performance of sports of any kind' and to 'provide, promote, sponsor, assist or collaborate with any person or groups of persons in the organizing or presenting of demonstrations, displays or competition of, and training for, sports.'
With this entrusted authority, the Council has all along been playing a very active role in the planning, provision and management of sports venues in the urban area as well as organizing recreation and sports activities for the general public. In 1993/94, the Council spends $246 million on the provision of recreation and sports facilities and another $288 million on their maintenance and management and on the organization of leisure and sports programmes. These statistics speak for themselves: the Urban Council's role and commitment in the promotion of sports and recreational activities in Hong Kong is as strong as ever and should not be slighted solely because of the establishment of a new sports corps which digresses from its own parameters and seeks to rival.
Sport is an activity for everybody in an open and healthy society like Hong Kong. We welcome the burgeoning of sports clubs and blossoming of sports development bodies. They all play an essential part in the promotion of sports in Hong Kong, either by introducing diversity and variety, or by making the activitiy widely available and popular, or by training up elites who represent Hong Kong in renowned international events.
It is in this spirit that this Council has welcomed the establishment of the Sports Development Board. Early in its inception stage back in 1989, however,
Page 115 of 132
1
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 115 of 132
229
this Council was concerned that there might be instances of duplication which might result in the waste of public resources. Our concern was relayed to the Chief Secretary. We were repeatedly assured that the terms of reference of the Sports Development Board are designed to complement the functions of existing sports promotion bodies including the Municipal Councils, that the Sports Development Board will support and complement the work of the Councils without infringement or duplication, and that the Councils will continue to be responsible for the promotion of sports for the general public and the management of facilities in their respective regions.
This demarcation of responsibilities is in principle satisfactory and rational. Its sets out how this Council should co-operate with the Sports Development Board which is charged with a different set of priorities and objectives. Like a pyramid, the Council should serve as the base with a broad coverage whereas the Sports Development Board should form the peak and develop the cream. Being fully aware of this relationship, we have all along been making efforts to accommodate the Sports Development Board's needs for facilities to enable it to achieve its objectives.
This equilibrium has recently been upset in particular in the areas of grassroots level sports activities. The Sports Development Board has embarked on projects to develop school sports programmes, organize district level sports programmes involving District Sports Associations and form a large number of venue-based sports clubs using Council facilities. These activities are all within this Council's jurisdiction and have serious implications on our on-going work.
The Sports Development Board's infringement in grassroots level sports activities has created confusion among service recipients, who do not know where to turn to when in need. In many instances the Sports Development Board also intervenes in our direct liaison with various sports associations. Many Council policies governing the use and rental of sports venues are designed to ensure maximum and fair utilisation and to regulate competing demands on this scarce resources. Concessions are meted out to the Sports Development Board in view of its important role in elite training. However the Sports Development Board has used such concessions to develop grassroots sports activities and has by so doing dilated the impact of the Council's policies. Moreover, the Sports Development Board's half-hearted generosity has also imposed unanticipated demands on the Council. Being given additional resources, many district sports associations look to the Council for assistance in organizing extra sports programmes.
Of course I agree that to be effective in the promotion of sports, there needs be some flexibility in the kind of activities to be organized and the level of penetration. However, such encroachment onto the Council's work does not seem to stem from flexibility, which we are pleased to allow, but rather from a blurred vision of roles and an unhealthy attitude to compete for leadership in the sports field.
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