Paper No. SC 6/2008

SPORTS COMMISSION Notes of Meeting held on 25 July 2008

Present : Mr TSANG Tak-sing Secretary for Home Affairs (Chairman) The Hon Vice-Chairman Mr CHAU How-chen Chairman, Community Sports Committee Mr Victor HUI Chairman, Elite Sports Committee Mr Herman HU Chairman, Major Sports Events Committee Mr Thomas CHOW Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Ms Ann CHIANG Dr Roy CHUNG Dr David FANG Miss Leonie KI Mr William LEUNG Dr Eric LI Mr Stephan TAN Mr Damian LEE Assistant Secretary for Home Affairs (Recreation and Sport)1 (Secretary)

In Attendance :

Miss Janet WONG Principal Assistant Secretary for Home Affairs (Recreation and Sport)

(For Agenda Item 6)

Home Affairs Bureau

Mrs Agnes ALLCOCK Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs (2)

Equestrian Events () of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad Company Limited

Mr LAM Woon-kwong Chief Executive Officer

(For Agenda Item 7)

2009 East (Hong Kong) Limited 2

Mr Johnny WOO Chief Executive Officer Mr Eddie SUEN Head (Administration)

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

The Chairman welcomed all Members present at the meeting. Subsequent to the last Sports Commission (SC) meeting in November 2007, one paper on application of “M” Mark Status and Support Packages – The 2 nd Hong Kong DanceSport Festival – had been issued and the recommendation was endorsed. With Members’ agreement, item 6 of the Agenda was taken out of order and discussed before item 5.

ITEM 1: MATTERS ARISING

1.1 As no comments had been received from Members on the draft notes of the 7 th meeting, the notes had therefore been confirmed and issued in March 2008.

1.2 Members noted the progress of matters arising from the 7th meeting as summarised in the note as tabled.

1.3 The Hon Timothy FOK, Vice-Chairman of SC, opined that the development of the Multi-purpose Stadium Complex (MPSC) in Kai Tak, being undertaken by Home Affairs Bureau (HAB), would be vital to the overall sports development in Hong Kong.

1.4 As regards the repugnant smell at the Kai Tak Approach Channel, a Member considered that the mitigation measures proposed by Civil Engineering and Development Department would not be effective in tackling the problem. While being aware that the proposal for reclamation had to be justified by the overriding public need in accordance with the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance (the Ordinance), the Member considered that reclamation could fundamentally resolve the problem and therefore suggested the Government to examine the feasibility of this option having regard to the provisions of the Ordinance. Mr CHAU How-chen , Chairman of Community Sports Committee (CSC), suggested that the City District Council should be consulted on the proposed way forward.

[Post-meeting note: The SC Secretariat has passed the comments to the Civil Engineering and Development Department for information.]

ITEM 2: PROGRESS REPORT OF THE COMMUNITY SPORTS COMMITTEE (PAPER NO. SC 2/2008)

2.1 Mr CHAU How-chen reported that the first phase of the household 3

interviews for the Study on the Participation Patterns of Hong Kong People in Physical Activity had been completed and that the second phase would begin in September 2008. After consolidating the data collected, the consultant of the Study would then compile a report and put forward recommendations on the direction of future development in community sports. The whole Study was targeted for completion at end 2008.

2.2 For the 2 nd Hong Kong Games (the Games) to be held in May 2009, Mr CHAU highlighted that competition events of two sports, namely, swimming and , would be added to the Games. The Organising Committee of the Games and its Standing Committee were preparing for the Games according to the laid-down plan.

2.3 Members also noted that various community promotional programmes in support of the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games would be organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) with a view to uplifting the Olympic atmosphere in Hong Kong. Mr CHAU added that LCSD would continue to promote the School Sports Programmes with a view to increasing the number of participating schools. Mr CHAU also said that streamlined sports funding mechanism had been implemented smoothly since April 2007. The mechanism allowed the subvented sports organisations greater flexibility in the deployment of resources. The Beijing-Qingdao-Hong Kong 2008 Olympic Games Co-host Cities Sports Exchange Programme, featuring sports demonstrations by the three cities, was successfully held in Beijing between 16 and 19 May 2008. The event further strengthened the co-operation among the three cities in sports.

2.4 The Chairman informed Members that the Legislative Council (LegCo) had recently passed a motion on promoting the development of local football. In response to the carried motion, LCSD would commission a consultancy study with a view to identifying measures to enhance public participation in football. The Chairman also mentioned that HAB had received several proposals regarding provision of dedicated facilities for specific sports, including baseball and . It was therefore considered appropriate for the SC and the CSC to review the current situation regarding the provision of public leisure and sports facilities in the community. The Chairman anticipated that the results of the Study on the Participation Patterns of Hong Kong People in Physical Activity could shed some light on such a review.

2.5 Members generally expressed support for the consultancy study on football development. One Member suggested that the consultancy study should cover areas including the role of government in the development of football as well as resources allocation to the relevant National Sports Association (NSA) and other parties. Mr Victor HUI , Chairman of Elite Sports Committee (ESC), said that football was popular among young people and it would be worthwhile further promoting the sport as with other team sports, such as and , in the community. 4

2.6 In response to a Member’s enquiry, Mr CHAU reassured Members that three were specific community sports programmes for both young people and the elderly. Mr Thomas CHOW , Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, supplemented that LCSD provided various sports programmes for people with disabilities as well.

ITEM 6: OVERVIEW OF 2008 OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC EQUESTRIAN EVENTS

[With Members’ agreement, this agenda item was discussed before item 3 in view of the prior commitment of one of the attendees for this item.]

6.1 Mrs Agnes ALLCOCK , Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs(2), briefed Members on the preparatory work for the staging of the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events (Equestrian Events) in Hong Kong through a powerpoint presentation. Mrs ALLCOCK said that, subsequent to the acceptance of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG)’s proposal of staging the Equestrian Events in Hong Kong, the Equestrian Committee was established in October 2005 to liaise with BOCOG concerning the preparation of Equestrian Events and formulate policies and provide guidance for the preparation and running of the Equestrian Events. Key government functions in organising the Equestrian Events, including security, transport arrangement, medical services, food safety, quarantine, public consultation, hospitality, ticketing, promotion and community involvement, etc., were highlighted in the presentation. Mrs ALLCOCK informed Members that of the 200,000 Olympic Equestrian Events tickets, only around 10 000 were left and expected to be sold out very soon.

6.2 Mr LAM Woon-kwong , Chief Executive Officer of Equestrian Events (Hong Kong) of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad Company Limited (i.e. the Equestrian Company), continued with the powerpoint presentation by introducing the three disciplines of the Equestrian Events, namely, dressage, jumping, and eventing. He advised that all competition venues were either ready or under final touch-ups and horses would arrive from 26 July 2008 onwards. Mr LAM said that the Equestrian Company would work closely with its security service contractors and the Hong Kong Police to strengthen the security of competition venues. Mr LAM also briefed Members on the work progress of various areas relating to the Equestrian Events, including competition schedules, media services, catering, reception, traffic and transport arrangements, etc.

6.3 In response to enquiries from Members, Mr LAM said that a welcome reception would be held in honour of the President of the IOC on 18 August 2008. As regards security inside competition venues, it was a customary practice of the Olympic Games that security service providers were to take charge while the local 5

police to take control only under exceptional circumstances. As for the timing and scheduling of the competition events, a host of factors had been taken into account, particularly the protection of the physical well-being of the participating horses. Based on the advice of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports and the Hong Kong Observatory, the competition events would be held in either early morning or early evening.

6.4 The Chairman expressed gratitude to Members of SC and its three committees and the Core Sponsor Group. Taking the opportunity, Mrs ALLCOCK invited Members to help secure sponsorships from the business sector of tickets of the Paralympic Equestrian Events for underprivileged groups.

ITEM 3 : PROGRESS REPORT OF THE ELITE SPORTS COMMITTEE (PAPER NO. SC 3/2008) (Confidential Item)

ITEM 4: PROGRESS REPORT OF THE MAJOR SPORTS EVENTS COMMITTEE (PAPER NO. SC 4/2008)

4.1 Mr Herman HU , Chairman of the Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC), reported that a total of 26 major sports events had been awarded “M” Mark status since the system was launched in November 2004. Of these 26 “M” Mark events, ten were provided with funding support as well. As at 30 June 2008, netting all the amounts reserved for the approved “M” Mark event but not yet disbursed, the usable balance of the seed fund was around $9 million.

4.2 In order to further enhance the publicity of major sports events, the MSEC would create a dedicated webpage for approved “M” Mark events and organise gatherings to recognise the sponsors and the relevant NSAs for their contribution to the successful hosting of “M” Mark events. The MSEC Secretariat would publish and “M” Mark events annual calendar for 2009 for public distribution.

4.3 Mr HU highlighted that the 3 rd TV series “Glamour of Sport – Chinese Heritage” had been arranged for telecast on the Jade Channel of the Television Broadcasts Limited every Saturday during 5 July 2008 to 9 August 2008. It was expected that, through the telecast and various other measures, the public would better appreciate the image of “M” Mark System.

4.4 Mr HU said that, with the assistance of SF&OC, the relevant NSAs had been consulted on the detailed project scope of the Main Stadium and the Secondary Stadium of the MPSC.

4.5 Mr HU said that ten Core Sponsor Group member corporations had agreed to provide job placement opportunities for retired athletes under the HKACEP, 6

of which two had also made financial contributions.

ITEM 5: REVIEW ON “M” MARK SYSTEM AND SUPPORT PACKAGES (PAPER NO. SC 5/2008)

5.1 Miss Janet WONG presented the paper which set out the key findings and recommendations of the Review on “M” Mark System and Support Packages (the Review) for endorsement by SC. Key recommendations were as follows:

(a) on the definition of NSAs, it was agreed not to include sports organizations affiliated to International Sports Federations and Asian Sports Federations but not affiliated to SF&OC as eligible applicants for the “M” Mark status (and funding);

(b) on the definition of major sports events, it was recommended that one-off exhibition matches of specific sports with presence of top world-ranking players capable of drawing significant public interest would also be considered for the granting of “M” Mark status, but without funding support; and

(c) on the extension of funding support, it was proposed that a 3-year supporting period could be provided on top of the existing 3-year nurturing period. The matching fund support during the supporting period would be on a ratio of 1:1 and subject to a ceiling of $1 million for each of the three years. To cater for the additional financial requirements arising from this proposed extension of funding support, and extra $6 million would need to be earmarked from the Arts and Sport Development Fund in 2009.

5.2 Mr Herman HU said that at present there were around ten “M” Mark events each year and the MSEC expected that, with the recommendations of the Review in place, there would be more “M” Mark events in future. Mr HU added that the purpose of introducing the supporting period was to better nurture fledgling major sports events for the sustainable development of these events in the long run.

5.3 A Member considered that it would be desirable if one “M” Mark event could be arranged for each month which would bring about positive impact of the “M” Mark System on the promotion of tourism in Hong Kong. Miss WONG responded that with about ten “M” Mark events in a year, we had one “M” Mark event per month on average. As the Tourism Commission (TC) was represented on the MSEC, views would be exchanged with TC on further enhancing the overseas promotion of major sports events staged in Hong Kong. Separately, Miss WONG said that as the Information Services Department (ISD) would soon be mapping out the way forward for 2020 Brand Hong Kong, the MSEC Secretariat would invite the ISD to gather the views of MSEC Members. 7

5.4 Following the above discussion, Members endorsed the recommendations of the Review and the financial request as set out in the paper.

ITEM 8: ANY OTHER BUSINESS

(a) Study Tour relating to MPSC in Kai Tak

[With Members’ agreement, one of the issues under Any Other Business, i.e. item 8 of the Agenda, was raised at this juncture.]

8.1 Miss Janet WONG briefed Members on a planned study tour to a city in the region with a stadium of international standards. Subject to the size of the delegation, representatives from the CSC, the ESC, and the MSEC would also be suitably invited to join the tour.

ITEM 7: PREPARATION FOR 2009

7.1 Mr Johnny WOO , Chief Executive Officer of (Hong Kong) Limited, briefed Members on the preparation for the 2009 East Asian Games (the 2009 EAG) through a powerpoint presentation. The 2009 East Asian Games (Hong Kong) Limited commenced operation in August 2006 and would have around 100 staff by mid-2009. The 2009 EAG would start on 5 December and close on 13 December 2009. A total of nine National Olympic Committees would participate in the 2009 EAG. Upgrading of the facilities of a number of existing sports venues was in full progress and the doping control stations would be completed by mid-2009. Mr WOO briefed Members on the work progress of various aspects relating to the organising of the 2009 EAG, including broadcasting and media services, hospitality, transportation, medical services, security, ticketing, volunteer programme and publicity.

7.2 The Chairman remarked that the sporting culture in Hong Kong would be given a strong boost with the staging of the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events, the 2 nd Hong Kong Games in 2009 as well as the 2009 EAG.

7.3 In response to a Member’s enquiry on the opening ceremony of the 2009 EAG, Mr WOO said that the budget for both opening and closing ceremonies was in the region of $35 million. The 2009 East Asian Games (Hong Kong) Limited was pursuing an innovative idea for the staging of the opening ceremony.

ITEM 8: ANY OTHER BUSINESS

(b) 2011 IOC Session 8

8.2 Miss Janet WONG informed Members that Hong Kong and Durban, South Africa had been shortlisted as finalist candidate cities for hosting the 2011 IOC Session. The IOC would decide on the host city at the 2008 IOC Session to be held in Beijing on 7 August 2008. Hong Kong would present its bid at the Session.

8.3 After viewing the promotion video which would form part of Hong Kong’s presentation at the 2008 IOC Session, Herman HU expressed appreciation of the slogan “A World in A City” and suggested that the video should carry the message that Hong Kong was a safe city. Mr Thomas CHOW said that the presentation had highlighted the fact that Hong Kong was a city with a vibrant cultural life with both Western and Eastern influences.

[Post-meeting note : At the 2008 IOC Session held in Beijing on 7 August 2008, Durban, South Africa was chosen as the host city for the 2011 IOC Session. A press release was issued by the Government on the same day, quoting the Chairman, in the capacity of the Secretary for Home Affairs, saying that with keen competition from seven bidding cities, Hong Kong had presented well as one of the two finalist cities. He added that the Government would continue to foster sports development in Hong Kong.]

(c) Date of Next Meeting

8.4 The Chairman indicated that, due to the fact that the sports community would be heavily engaged in the run up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the next meetings of the SC and its Committees would likely be held in the fourth quarter of 2008.

8.5 There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m.

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Sports Commission Secretariat October 2008