ENG-1977 — Page 20

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: A FULLER LIFE FOR ALL

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and a landscaped rest garden. When the mass transit railway vacates the former cricket ground in Central, Chater Garden will feature a promenade complete with landscaped garden, pond and fountains.

Swimming continues to be Hong Kong's favourite form of active recreation. With the majority of suitable beaches already under Urban Services Department manage- ment, greater emphasis is being placed on providing more swimming pools in an effort to relieve pressure on such favourite beaches as Repulse Bay, where crowds of 30,000 are common during the summer.

The opening of swimming pool complexes at Aberdeen and at Tai Wan Shan during 1977 brought to nine the number of pools now operated in the urban areas by the Urban Council. A 10th complex is managed by the Urban Services Department at Tsuen Wan in the New Territories. The Aberdeen and Tai Wan Shan complexes each have eight pools with facilities for diving, training, teaching and paddling.

Over the next four years, 15 more pools will be built - two on Hong Kong Island, two in Kowloon and 11 in the New Territories. The pools on the island will be located at Chai Wan and Wan Chai while those in Kowloon will be at Hammer Hill and Kowloon Park.

The New Territories expansion is part of a major effort to bring recreational amenities in country districts up to the level enjoyed in urban areas. North Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Fanling, Yuen Long and Tai Po will each get a pool while Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun will get two each.

During 1977, the Urban Services Department took over three more beaches in the New Territories, bringing to 40 the number of beaches under the management of the Urban Council and Urban Services Department. All are provided with life-saving staff and a range of facilities. A new system of warning flags was introduced at all beaches. Plans are in hand to provide additional motorised rescue boats, mechanical beach- cleaning equipment and fibreglass rafts.

Because of the huge attendances at both public pools and beaches - an estimated 236 million swam at Hong Kong's 40 gazetted beaches in 1977 - the Urban Council goes to great lengths to promote water safety through learn-to-swim schemes, poster competitions and proficiency programmes. The results are encouraging; drownings at gazetted beaches dropped from 26 in 1976 to 16 in 1977, while those at public pools dropped from two to zero over the same period.

Like swimming, football continues to attract enormous numbers each year and the council's present facilities two stadia, four complexes, 10 parks with pitches and 101 mini-soccer pitches – are in for a substantial boost. By 1982, the urban area will have the new Ho Man Tin Stadium and 23 additional pitches, of which seven will be full-sized and turfed.

Facilities for athletics, which at present comprise two stadia, five sports complexes and five running tracks, also will be expanded. By 1982, the council will be running three more complexes and double the number of tracks.

Apart from providing venues, the Urban Council plays a major role in promoting sport through competition. During 1977, about two million people took part in such events - a four-fold increase over 1976. Similarly, the council organises many free public entertainment programmes, including fun fairs, puppet shows, popular concerts, Chinese dance and folk-singing, plus annual events like the New Year Fiesta and the