Paper No.    

PURPOSE

This paper sets out the Provisional Urban Council's current policy and resource allocation for sports facilities and related activities.

POLICY

2. In promoting recreation and sports in Hong Kong, the Provisional Urban Council aims at catering for the needs of the public by :

1. providing and managing recreation and sports facilities for their pursuit of leisure; and
   
   
2. organizing and subventing recreation and sports programmes at the "community" or "grassroots" level.

RECREATION AND SPORTS FACILITIES

3. The Provisional Urban Council is one of the major providers of recreation and sports facilities in Hong Kong. The Council provides and manages 2 stadia, 42 indoor games halls/leisure centres, 9 athletic grounds, 868 courts for tennis, basketball, squash and badminton, 47 pitches for hockey, rugby and soccer, 16 swimming pools, a table tennis centre, a recreation camp and a water sports centre. These facilities are built to meet international specifications and safety standards for a wide range of recreation and sports activities. A list of facilities managed by the Provisional Urban Council is annexed.

4. In considering the types and design of facilities to be provided, it is the Provisional Urban Council's policy to keep abreast with the changing trends and public aspirations in sports and recreation. The Council is also conscious of the need to upgrade its existing leisure facilities as well as their management in order that a high standard of service may be provided to the public.

5. Resources allocated for building and managing these sports facilities for the past three years are summarised below :


RECREATION AND SPORTS PROGRAMMES

Sports Promotion Activities

6. The Provisional Urban Council provides an extensive and diversified range of recreation and sports programmes for a wide sector of the community, including persons with a disability, and encourages participation at all ages. These programmes include recreation and sports activities such as fun days, carnival type activities, family camps, excursions, training courses and competitions organised at district level. In 1997/98, the Council organized 9,360 programmes with 646,300 participants. The Council aims at promoting public awareness and knowledge of sports and recreation through the organisation of these programmes.

Sports Training Programmes

7. Apart from organizing its own recreation and sports programmes, the Council provides subventions to National Sports Associations (NSAs) and District Sports Associations for organizing joint sports training programmes at elementary and intermediate levels. Since 1996 the Council has given $100,000 on an annual basis to each of the ten Urban District Sports Associations to assist them with their community programmes. The Council also sponsors competitions and international sporting events held locally that have wide spectator appeal.

8. The numerous sports promotion and training programmes organised by the Provisional Urban Council form an important base from which sports talent can be identified and guided towards elite training.

9. Resources allocated for sports training and promotion activities for the past three years are summarised below :


WAY FORWARD

10. The Provisional Urban Council aims to continue to foster a healthier community through the promotion of sports for all citizens in Hong Kong and the provision of diversified sports facilities, programmes and leisure opportunities for the whole community.


Urban Services Department
25 February 1999


USD LP(HQ) 16/18/1 V

Annex

Provisional Urban Council Recreational Facilities

Districts Recreational Facilities	Western & Central	Wan Chai	Eastern	Southern	Yau Tsim	Mong Kok	Sham Shui Po	Kowloon City	Wong Tai Sin	Kwun Tong	Total
Stadia	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2
Indoor Games Halls/ Leisure Centres	5	3	4	4	2	3	5	4	6	6	42
Athletic Grounds	0	2	1	1	0	0	1	2	1	1	9
Tennis Courts	0	27	33	8	6	0	18	26	19	7	144
Basketball Courts	27	12	34	9	13	9	35	43	26	27	235
Squash Courts	37	16	20	14	11	11	38	17	19	15	198
Badminton Courts	44	20	26	24	22	11	32	34	42	36	291
Hockey Pitches	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2
Rugby Pitches	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2
Soccer Pitches	0	12	3	3	0	2	5	8	8	2	43
Swimming Pools	1	2	2	1	1	0	3	2	2	2	16
Table Tennis Centre	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Recreation Camp	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Water Sports Centre	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1