ENG-2004 — Page 517

Recreation, Sport and the Arts 447

The elected officers of the SF&OC and the NSAS are volunteers of high standing and expertise in their respective fields of sport. They are also the cornerstones in safeguarding the autonomy of the NOC/NSAs and in assuring a high quality of sports and recreation in Hong Kong.

For half a century, the federation has coordinated a comprehensive three-month Festival of Sport, commencing in March every year. It also organises extensive education programmes for sports leaders, administrators, coaches and technical officials free of charge, notably through the Hong Kong Olympic Academy which offers free sports management and sport science courses and programmes.

With the support of sponsors, the federation organises each year the Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards, the 'Oscars' of local sport, to recognise the achievements of top sportsmen and women. The 2003 prize presentation was held in conjunction with the federation's annual spring dinner in February 2004.

A planning committee was set up in July 2004 to host the 5th East Asian Games of 2009 with the Chief Executive as Patron, Secretary for Home Affairs as President and the Chairman of the SF&OC as Chairman. Apart from members of the SF&OC, government officials and the NSAs, representatives from the business, banking, airline and tourist sectors are also involved.

Paramedic Sports Association

The Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped aims to develop, promote and organise sports activities for persons with intellectual disability to fully develop their potential in sports abilities, to cultivate positive attitudes in sportsmanship and to facilitate their integration into the community. The association provides sports training and competitions for more than 25 000 persons, and through the years has been steadily developing a training program from the grass roots to an elite level.

Athletes took part in numerous international competitions during the year and made the most of these opportunities to polish their skills. Highlights of 2004 would be the first ever Jockey Club 3rd INAS-FID World Swimming Championships in Hong Kong in January. Hong Kong achieved three silver and eight bronze medals in the competition. Hong Kong teams also toured Bollnas, Sweden to take part in the 2004 INAS-FID Global Games in July where they grabbed seven gold, 12 silver and seven bronze medals in athletics, swimming and table tennis.

Among the other competitions in which athletes competed successfully were the Special Olympics East Asia Snowshoeing Competition, 2004 Special Olympics Nippon National Winter Games, World Indoor Athletics Championships, 2004 Special Olympics East Asia and Asian Zone Regional Bocce Competition, Special Olympics Regional Table

Table Tennis Competition, FISA World Rowing Senior & Junior

FISA Championships, and Macao-Hong Kong for the Intellectual Disability and Badminton/Table Tennis Reunification Cup. A total of 108 medals, with 32 gold, 41 silver and 35 bronze were won by Hong Kong paramedic athletes during the year.