ENG-2017 — Page 380

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Recreation, Sport, Culture and the Arts

Hong Kong Youth Hostels Association

The Hong Kong Youth Hostels Association is a non-profit-making organisation providing safe, good-quality and affordable hostel accommodation. It aims to encourage young people to embrace nature through outdoor activities and appreciate different cultures via the hosteling experience and international exchange programmes.

Established in 1973, the association plans, runs and markets seven youth hostels. It has more than 30,000 individual and corporate members, and is also an affiliate of Hostelling International, which has over four million members worldwide.

The seven hostels each features different characteristics. The flagship is the YHA Mei Ho House Youth Hostel, which was transformed from a six-storey resettlement block in Shek Kip Mei that formed part of Hong Kong's first public housing.

The association's annual Ngong Ping Charity Walk, held in January at North Lantau Island Country Park, attracted near 1,500 participants and raised much needed funds for hostel enhancement, environmental protection and the association's conservation projects.

Sporting Achievements

Highlights of 2017 included achievements of the Hong Kong delegation to the Asian Indoor and Martial Art Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and the National Games in Tianjin. The delegation won 10 golds, 11 silvers and 14 bronzes in Ashgabat, a total of 35 medals, of which three golds each went to cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze and swimmer Stephanie Au Hoi-shun. In Tianjin, Hong Kong captured two golds, seven silvers and seven bronzes, the city's best showing since it first took part in the National Games in 1997. The two golds were clinched by the cycling team - Pang Yao and Yang Qianyu in the women's madison event and Leung Chun- wing in the men's omnium.

The tenpin bowling team achieved brilliant success in the World Bowling Championships held in December in Las Vegas, with one gold, one silver and one bronze. Wu Siu-hong, Michael Mak and Eric Tseng, competing in the men's trios, reaped the first gold for Hong Kong. Billiard player Ng On-yee was champion in the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker's (WLBS) World Women's Snooker Championship, WLBS World Festival of Women's Snooker and International Billiards and Snooker Federation's World 6-Reds and Team Snooker Championships, while windsurfer Chan Hei-man claimed a gold in the Asian Sailing Federation's Asian Championship. Tiffany Chan Tsz- ching qualified for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) with an impressive second- place finish in the LPGA Tour Qualifying School. Tse Ying-suet and Tang Chun-man became Hong Kong's first champions in the mixed doubles of the Denmark Super Series Premier, and also bagged a historic silver in the Badminton World Federation's World Superseries finals.

Young athletes performed outstandingly as well. Siobhan Bernadette Haughey snared two golds and set a new Universiade record in the women's 200m freestyle at the Summer Universiade in Taipei. Cheung Ka-long became Hong Kong's first world junior champion in the Junior and Cadet World Fencing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

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