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RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

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Association of National Olympic Committees. With a membership of 69 national sports associations, it is the acknowledged voice of sport in Hong Kong.

Members of the ASF & OC are NSAs which are in turn affiliated to their international federations. They have the responsibility to develop and promote their specific sport and are managed by elected officers under either the limited company or registered society ordinance. They are empowered to co-ordinate and conduct a large range of activities related to their sport, such as organising sport and recreation programmes for beginners to elite athletes, organising and sanctioning participation in local and overseas competitions and tournaments, the training of coaches and referees, implementing and enforcing local and international rules and regulations, and representing Hong Kong in meetings of the International Federation concerned. Office-bearers are elected biennially. They include the President, eight Vice- Presidents, the Honorary Secretary, three Honorary Deputy Secretaries, the Honorary Treasurer, and the Assistant Honorary Treasurer.

The elected officers of the ASF & OC and the NSAs are volunteers with high standing and expertise in the sport arena. They are the cornerstone in safeguarding the autonomy of the national sports associations and assuring the quality of the delivery of sport and recreation in Hong Kong.

In conjunction with the municipal councils, the Federation co-ordinates the comprehensive Annual Festival of Sport held since 1958. It also organises extensive education programmes for sports leaders, administrators, coaches and technical officials without charge. Since the early 1970s, many sports leaders and athletes have been sponsored to attend and participate in local and overseas conferences and seminars, such as the annual International Olympic Academy at Olympia.

In conjunction with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Solidarity courses and programmes are organised through various NSAS attended by both local and overseas delegates. Through the Hong Kong Coaching Committee, more than 4 000 participants have attended coach training programmes in the past four years. In co-operation with the United States Olympic Academy and the University of Oregon, courses on various aspects of sports management and sports science were offered free of charge to the NSAs. Special conferences and seminars on sports medicine and sports science were also organised in conjunction with the Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine and Sports Science and the Hong Kong Post- Secondary Colleges Athletic Association. These educational activities attracted participants from Hong Kong, Mainland China and other parts of the world, and have been praised by the IOC for their comprehensiveness and quality.

Provisional Urban Council Sports and Recreation Programmes

and Facilities

To arouse public awareness of the value of sport and physical recreation, the Provisional Urban Council (PUC) organised 9 249 grassroots training and recreation programmes for 648 465 participants of all ages and abilities at a cost of $39.23 million in 1997.

The council also operates a Sports Subsidy Scheme to provide financial assistance to sports associations for the presentation of sports events, training programmes and competitions relating to the promotion and development of the Sport-for-All concept. In 1997, the council spent $16.9 million on 342 sports programmes,