392 Recreation, Sport and the Arts
Hong Kong sports has entered a new era in 2007 after being designated co-host city of the 2008 Olympiad Equestrian Events by the International Olympic Committee at the 117th IOC Session held in Singapore on 8 July 2005. The successful staging of the 'Good Luck Beijing HKSAR 10th Anniversary Cup' in August as a test event plus the positive comments made by world sports experts who witnessed the test run established Hong Kong's preparedness for the equestrian events of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Hong Kong's image in the sports world was further enhanced by its successful holding of the 23rd East Asian Games Association Council meeting in June which was attended by delegates from nine East Asian National Olympic Committees at a time when preparations by Hong Kong for hosting the 5th East Asian Games in 2009 was forging ahead in top gear.
Paralympic Sports Associations
The Hong Kong Paralympic Committee and Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (HKPC&SAPD) is a member of the National Paralympic Committee of Hong Kong, China. It is the only sports body recognised by the International Paralympic Committee for selecting the Hong Kong team for the Paralympic Games and the World and Regional Games and Championships. The HKPC&SAPD plays an active part in organising regional functions and in creating close working relations between Hong Kong and neighbouring countries and territories to upgrade the standard of sports for the disabled in Hong Kong and Asia.
The year has been a busy and memorable one for the HKPC & SAPD which also celebrated their 35th anniversary. To commemorate this important milestone which coincided with the HKSAR's 10th anniversary, the HKPC & SAPD held the 'Hong Kong Table Tennis Open 2007' in July with great success. Some 130 athletes from 17 countries and territories took part in the contest, many of whom were world stars.
Hong Kong's athletes trained hard during the year and took part in competitions around the world to win a spot in the upcoming 2008 Beijing Paralympics — the first ever paralympics to be held on Chinese soil.
HKPC&SAPD athletes did notably well in the international sporting arena in 2007, winning a total of 99 medals: 38 gold, 31 silver and 30 bronze.
The Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped develops, promotes and organises sporting activities for people with intellectual disability in order to fully develop their potential in sports, and to cultivate in them positive attitudes in sportsmanship as well as to facilitate their integration into the community. The association provides sports training and competitions for more than 40 000 intellectually disabled people, and through the years has been steadily developing a training programme to cater to all levels of ability.
Athletes took part in numerous international competitions during the year and made the most of these opportunities to sharpen their skills. Highlights included the 5th INAS-FID Swimming World Championships in Belgium, where Hong Kong won 5 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze medals; the tour of Brazil where the Hong Kong team
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