Handprint Wall shows community support for Club's EAG Volunteer Programme

20 May 2009

The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced last month that it would donate HK$40 million as Principal Contributor to support the 2009 East Asian Games being hosted by Hong Kong in December.  To celebrate the 200-day countdown of the Games today (20 May), the Club's Deputy Chairman T Brian Stevenson was joined by Under Secretary for Home Affairs Florence Hui, Chairman of the 5th East Asian Games Planning Committee Timothy Fok and Chairman of the Agency for Volunteer Service Lee Jark Pui at the opening ceremony of a Volunteers Handprint Wall in Kowloon Park, celebrating The Hong Kong Jockey Club 2009 East Asian Games Volunteer Programme, one of the three Club-funded projects.

Mr Stevenson observed at the opening ceremony that the Club had always been committed to sports development as a way of promoting an active and healthy lifestyle for the benefit of the community.  ''Despite the current economic downturn and continuous exploitation from offshore and illegal operators, the Club is trying its best to meet the community's needs by sustaining its contribution to charities and community projects, and by preserving and creating jobs for Hong Kong,'' he emphasised.  ''The 2009 East Asian Games is once again an example of how the Club has risen to meet the needs of Hong Kong and stands ready to live up to the Games slogan 'Be the Legend' with its citizens.''

Mr Stevenson noted that the Club's sponsorship of HK$40 million covered three main components: recruitment, training and support for The Hong Kong Jockey Club 2009 East Asian Games Volunteer Programme; construction of The Hong Kong Jockey Club International BMX Park on Gin Drinkers Bay in Kwai Chung as a competition venue for the Games and a catalyst for the long-term development and promotion of the sport at community level; and a subsidy scheme for student tickets.

The Volunteers Handprint Wall now on public display in Kowloon Park features over 1,000 handprints contributed by volunteers and sponsors of the 2009 East Asian Games, symbolising their support for the Games and their determination to make them a success.

The 2009 East Asian Games will be held in Hong Kong from 5 to 13 December 2009.  Over 3,000 elite athletes from nine participating countries and regions - China, Chinese Taipei, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macau, Mongolia and Guam - will compete for medals in 281 events across 23 sports.