ENG-1997 — Page 450

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

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The Sir David Trench Fund for Recreation provides grants for the construction and improvement of recreational and sporting facilities, and for the purchase of equipment for sport and recreation.

Hong Kong Sports Development Board

The Hong Kong Sports Development Board is the statutory body responsible for the promotion and development of sport and physical recreation in Hong Kong. In 1996-97, the government allocated $78.4 million to the board. Of this, over $47.9 million was used to support the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong and the National Sports Associations (NSAs) in meeting personnel, office, sports programme expenses and financing the staging of major international

events.

Identifying target sports and providing them with additional resources for development is one of the fundamental pillars of Hong Kong's sports policy. In 1996-97, $23.9 million was allocated to support the eight target sports: badminton, rowing, squash, swimming, table tennis, tennis, windsurfing and wushu, as well as football, basketball and rugby in the Focus Team Sport category.

Since April 1997, 12 activities have been selected as Focus Sports, replacing the Target and Focus Team Sports. They are badminton, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, rowing, squash, swimming, table tennis, track and field, triathlon, windsurfing and wushu. Performances in these 12 sports will be reviewed every two years, with the current cycle beginning in April 1997 and ending in March 1999. Apart from the 12 Focus Sports, a further 38 sports are grouped as Development Sports.

Progress continues to be made in the coach education field under the supervision of the Hong Kong Coaching Committee. Among its major programmes is the Hong Kong Coach Education Programme. By the end of March 1997, more than 5 500 coaches from 41 NSAs in 49 different disciplines had participated in one of its major components, the Hong Kong Coach Accreditation Programme.

The board has injected considerable effort and resources into junior sports development. Under the Go!Sport Programme, over 48 per cent of all primary and secondary schools have become involved in the programme, and more than 50 celebrities have accepted a role as programme ambassadors.

With the aim of providing regular training opportunities and frequent competition to those interested in sport, the Community Sports Clubs Programme had by this year established 61 clubs in 14 sports and had attracted some 3 000 people to enrol in the clubs.

The Sports Aid Foundation Fund and the Sports Aid for the Disabled Fund, administered by the board, distributed $3.7 million to 34 elite, 32 potential and 37 disabled athletes in 1996-97 to help with their training and competing expenses. The cash incentives introduced in 1994 for the Asian Games were extended to cover the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian and World Universiade in 1996. In 1997, the incentives were extended to athletes who achieved gold, silver and bronze medals in the East Asian Games in May and the All China Games in October. The board took over the management of the new Hong Kong Athletes Fund in March 1997 and distributed grants to eligible athletes starting from the 1997-98 academic year.

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