ENG-2012 — Page 411

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Recreation, Sport and the Arts

preliminary competition for the East Asian Football Federation East Asian Cup 2013 among Hong Kong, Australia, Chinese Taipei, Guam and DPR Korea were held at the Hong Kong and Mong Kok Stadiums.

Mong Kok Stadium

The Mong Kok Stadium has a seating capacity of 6,668 and is an important venue for sporting and community events. It is one of the major venues for the First Division Football League and the training ground for the national squad. The 60 events at the stadium in 2012 attended by more than 280,000 included the Asian Football Confederation Cup among Hong Kong, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore, and the Asian Five Nations Rugby Match between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan.

Water Sports Centres and Holiday Camps

The LCSD manages five water sports centres: Chong Hing, Tai Mei Tuk, Jockey Club Wong Shek, St Stephen's Beach and Stanley Main Beach. It also runs four holiday camps, the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village, Sai Kung Outdoor Recreation Centre, Tso Kung Tam Outdoor Recreation Centre, and Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village. In 2012, over 125,000 people participated in events at the water sports centres and 555,410 visited or stayed at the holiday camps.

Other Sports and Recreational Venues

The LCSD manages 94 sports centres, 43 swimming pool complexes, 256 tennis courts, 290 squash courts, 25 sports grounds, four golf-driving ranges and two public riding schools. Major projects to provide or upgrade recreation and sports facilities completed in 2012 included a new sports centre in Tin Shui Wai, new swimming pools in Tuen Mun and Lam Tin, and the conversion of the secondary pool of Lai Chi Kok Park Swimming Pool into an indoor heated pool. Works for nine other major projects across Hong Kong are under way.

Beaches and Swimming Pools

Swimming is one of Hong Kong's most popular summer pastimes. The LCSD manages 41 beaches: 12 on Hong Kong Island and 29 in the New Territories, and 43 public swimming pool complexes. In 2012, some 12.36 million people used the beaches and 10.47 million visited public swimming pools.

The Public Swimming Pool Monthly Ticket Scheme was introduced in July with the aim of making regular swimming more affordable, particularly for the elderly, and to encourage the public to maintain a healthy lifestyle by swimming regularly. By the end of 2012, over 40,000 tickets had been sold, of which half were to senior citizens aged 60 or above.

Parks Managed By LCSD

The LCSD manages 1,503 parks and gardens of different sizes, including 25 major parks.

Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens

The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, developed between 1861 and 1871, is the oldest public garden in Hong Kong and occupies an area of 5.6 hectares overlooking the Central District of Hong Kong. Despite the urban surroundings, the garden provides a

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