ENG-1993 — Page 433

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

Sports and Recreation Venues

In 1993, eight new sports and recreation venues were completed in the Regional Council area. In the spirit of ‘sports for all', the council's efforts to popularise horse-riding and golf were realised when its first riding school, with a stable of 60 horses, was completed in Tuen Mun at the end of 1993. It will be opened for public use in early 1994. A golf driving range alongside the school is targeted for completion in 1994–95. The recreation complex, built on a 25-hectare site, is fully funded by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The council now manages 29 indoor recreation centres, 13 swimming pool complexes, 97 tennis courts, 105 squash courts and 12 sportsgrounds.

An electronic display board was installed at the Tai Po Sportsground, the first venue to be fitted with this device in the council's area. Furthermore, two fully air-conditioned indoor recreation centres at Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing were completed and indoor tennis facilities were included at the Kwai Chung and Tai Po Indoor Recreation Centres.

The council has three water sports centres (Tai Mei Tuk, Chong Hing and Wong Shek) and three holiday camps (Lady MacLehose Holiday Village, Sai Kung Outdoor Recreation Centre, and Tso Kung Tam Outdoor Recreation Centre.) During the year, 69 000 people made use of the water sports centres and 301 200 of the holiday camps. Wall-climbing was introduced at the holiday camps, where more than 600 youngsters aged between eight and 11 took part in a memorable summer camp.

District Festivals Subsidy Scheme

Under the District Festivals Subsidy Scheme, the Regional Council assists local bodies to organise recreational, sports and cultural activities most suited to their districts. These include arts and sports festivals, dragon boat races, Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, and Lunar New Year carnivals.

During the year, $10.7 million was allocated to the nine New Territories districts under the jurisdiction of the council, in support of 61 festival celebrations. Over 800 000 residents participated.

Beaches and Swimming Pools

Swimming is one of Hong Kong's most popular forms of summer recreation. During 1993, some 12.4 million people visited the beaches and another 6.1 million enjoyed using the numerous public swimming pools managed by the two municipal councils. Due to reports of shark attacks at Silver Strand Beach and Seung Sze Wan in Sai Kung, and shark sightings elsewhere, swimmers were warned off beaches managed by the Regional Council for a brief period during the summer. Following initial concern by the Department of Health over the quality of water at the public swimming pools, water samples were taken for testing and were afterwards confirmed to meet world health standards.

There are at present 42 gazetted bathing beaches: 12 on Hong Kong Island managed by the Urban Council and 30 in the New Territories managed by the Regional Council. Facilities provided at these beaches range from changing rooms, toilets, showers, first-aid posts, lookout towers and light refreshment kiosks to picnic areas and other ancillary facilities. The water quality of these beaches is regularly monitored, with the findings made public.

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