ENG-2012 — Page 405

19

Recreation, Sport and the Arts

celebrate '4.23 World Book Day' at which Shenzhen's and Hong Kong's winning entries were displayed.

Books Registration Office

The Books Registration Office registers local publications and monitors the use of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system. It publishes Catalogue of Books Printed in Hong Kong in the Government Gazette every three months. The catalogue can also be viewed on the internet. In 2012, the office registered 15,172 books, 11,352 periodicals, and issued 1,127 new publisher prefixes totalling 22,160 ISBNs.

Sports and Recreation

The LCSD develops and manages sports and public recreation facilities, including sports grounds, playgrounds, sports centres, holiday camps, water sports centres, swimming pools and beaches. It also organises a wide variety of recreation and sports programmes for people of all ages and abilities, and provides parks and landscaped open spaces for leisurely enjoyment.

In 2012, some 840,000 people participated in activities organised at 25 holiday camps and seal activity centres run by 12 non-governmental organisations subvented by the LCSD. The LCSD also issues and renews licences for places of amusement and in 2012 processed 65 applications for billiard establishments, eight for public bowling alleys and seven for public skating rinks.

Hong Kong Sports Institute Limited

The Hong Kong Sports Institute Limited seeks to provide an environment in which sports talent can be identified, nurtured and developed. Besides access to high quality sports facilities, the support given to athletes includes coaching and training, sports science and sports medicine, education and employment support. In 2012, athletes in 15 sports received dedicated support under the institute's 'Elite Training Programme' which covers athletics, badminton, billiard sports, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, karatedo, rowing, squash, swimming, table tennis, tenpin bowling, triathlon, windsurfing and wushu. The institute also supports athletes in equestrianism, judo, rugby sevens and tennis, and also supports outstanding athletes under the Individual Athletes Support Scheme and the Disabled Sports Elite Training Programme.

In 2012, the institute focused on supporting athletes in their preparation for and participation in the London 2012 Olympic Games and the $1.8 billion redevelopment of the institute, which will provide new, state-of-the-art facilities for training high-performance athletes. The $7 billion. Elite Athletes Development Fund established in January provides a sustainable long-term source of financial support for the institute's operation.

Sporting Achievements

A highlight of 2012 was the achievement of the Hong Kong delegation to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Cyclist Lee Wai-sze won the bronze medal in the Women's Keirin, the men's table tennis team finished fourth in their event, while badminton player Yip Pui-yin, table tennis player Jiang Tianyi and the women's table tennis team achieved top eight positions.

337

Page 405Page 406