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All Hong Kong people should love, value and play sports, says Jockey Club

04/16/2016

To promote a healthier and more energetic Hong Kong, the Chairman of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Dr Simon S O Ip today (16 April) announced details of the Club’s Sports for All initiative. Featuring innovative crossover elements, the five programmes, including the latest Jockey Club Learn-to-Swim Programme for Primary Students, are designed to motivate individuals of all ages and abilities to make sports and exercise a part of their everyday life. Approximately HK$155 million has been earmarked to support the programmes, which are expected to benefit over 240,000 people.

The announcement was the highlight of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Day at Sha Tin Racecourse, an annual gathering of some 200 charity and community representatives which this year bore the theme of Sports for All. Guest of honour was Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen.

“Sports, we firmly believe, should not just be for professional athletes or for the more active of our young adults.  We want to engage everyone in sports – from kindergarten kids, to teenagers, to working adults to elderly retirees.  This is not only to improve community health but also to promote the social and psychological benefits that sport brings - building character and self-esteem, creating social ties and maintaining community spirit,” said Dr Ip.  “Above all we believe that sport is an activity that should be enjoyed for itself, and which can bring pleasure and benefit to everyone at every stage of their life-journey.”

To encourage citizens to take up sports and exercise and make them a part of their daily life, the Club is drawing on the inspiration and expertise of its community partners. By combining sports with crossover activities the aim is to make sports fun, interesting, and rewarding.  “Our vision is that ‘All Hong Kong people’ should ‘Love, Value and Play Sports’,” explained the Chairman.

Mr Yuen expressed his utmost gratitude to the Club for its unfailing commitment to addressing the needs of Hong Kong people.  He noted that the Trust has long been one of the Government’s most valued partners in the promotion of sports, from the construction of the Hong Kong Sports Institute in the late 1970s to the funding of the The Hong Kong Jockey Club Coach Education Programme last year.  With the Club’s experience in promoting sports, and contribution from its strategic partners, he has every confidence that the “Sports for All” campaign will be yet another outstanding success.

The Jockey Club Learn-to-Swim Programme for Primary Students is an 18-month long programme targeting around 16,500 non-swimming Hong Kong Primary One pupils. The objective is to provide them with sufficient basic training to learn survival skills and become confident regular swimmers. Twenty hours of free swimming courses will be provided by members of the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association.  The Trust’s funding will also cover a set of swimming gear for each participant including a swimming suit and cap, so parents will not need to worry about any extra expense.  To further motivate participants, an environmental and marine conservation education programme run in partnership with Ocean Park will enable children to encounter marine animals such as dolphins and learn more about marine conservation.

Programme details will be announced in June and the first swimming classes will commence in August. Enrolment will be open to public enrolment, with priority given to less-privileged Primary One pupils.  An evidence-based evaluation will be conducted by The University of Hong Kong’s Institute of Human Performance to assess the programme’s impact and to better understand the swimming abilities and sports experience of Hong Kong’s primary school children.

This programme follows on the launch of two other sporting initiatives targeting different segments of the community. In December, the Trust launched a three-year pilot project called the Jockey Club Keep-Fit Formula for Children, aimed at kindergarten and primary school children. This is the first protocol for the physical fitness development of children in Hong Kong and is designed to help teachers integrate fun physical activities into different subjects in the classroom.

Meanwhile in February, the HKFYG Jockey Club Community Team Sports programme was launched to provide a new team sports experience for young people aged 8 to 25. This citywide programme covers five selected team sports, namely team running, basketball, ice hockey, canoeing and rope-skipping, as well as crossover activities blending sports with community services.

Looking ahead, two more innovative Sports for All projects are due to be announced: a crossover project for young people and adults combining street sports with local community activities; and another crossover event, “Sports Entertainment Programme for the Young Old and Elderly”, organised by St James’ Settlement. These projects will blend sports training, volunteer work, entertainment and artistic production. 

The Club has long supported the building of sporting infrastructure, the promotion of a sporting culture in the city and the professional development of Hong Kong athletes.  In the last decade the Club has contributed over HK$1.6 billion to sports development, with some HK$210 million donated this year to date.  This includes providing comprehensive training and support to recognise the efforts of elite athletes and coaches.

The highlight of today’s race meeting was The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy, which was won by Invincible Dragon ridden by Neil Callan. Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen presented the trophy to Owner Albert Hung Chao Hong. 

The Club initiated the annual Community Day race meeting in 2005 as a way of honouring its successful partnerships with NGOs, Government agencies, academic institutions and other groups in building a better Hong Kong.  The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy is a historic trophy, some 160 years old, which was generously donated by the late Mr Tobias Brown in recognition of the Club’s charitable contribution to the community. 

 

The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus funds for charitable and community projects. In 2014/15, its donations reached a record HK$3.87 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,300 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$20.05 billion in 2014/15. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,000 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.

 a£á?All Hong Kong peoplea£á? should a£á?Love, Value and Play Sportsa£á?, says Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip.
a£á?All Hong Kong peoplea£á? should a£á?Love, Value and Play Sportsa£á?, says Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip.

Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen expresses his utmost gratitude to the Club for its unfailing commitment to addressing the needs of Hong Kong people.  He noted that the Trust has long been one of the Governmenta£á?s most valued partners in the promotion of sports, from the construction of the Hong Kong Sports Institute in the late 1970s to the funding of the Hong Kong Coach Education Programme last year. With the Cluba£á?s experience in promoting sports, and contribution from its strategic partners, he has every confidence that the a£á?Sports for Alla£á? campaign will be yet another outstanding success.
Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen expresses his utmost gratitude to the Club for its unfailing commitment to addressing the needs of Hong Kong people. He noted that the Trust has long been one of the Governmenta£á?s most valued partners in the promotion of sports, from the construction of the Hong Kong Sports Institute in the late 1970s to the funding of the Hong Kong Coach Education Programme last year. With the Cluba£á?s experience in promoting sports, and contribution from its strategic partners, he has every confidence that the a£á?Sports for Alla£á? campaign will be yet another outstanding success.

Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip (centre); Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen (2nd right); Secretary for Labour and Welfare The Hon Matthew Cheung (2nd left); Commissioner for Sports Yeung Tak-keung (1st left); and the Cluba£á?s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (1st right) officiate at the launch of the a£á?Sports for Alla£á? initiative.
Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip (centre); Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen (2nd right); Secretary for Labour and Welfare The Hon Matthew Cheung (2nd left); Commissioner for Sports Yeung Tak-keung (1st left); and the Cluba£á?s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (1st right) officiate at the launch of the a£á?Sports for Alla£á? initiative.

Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip (centre); Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen (5th right); Secretary for Labour and Welfare The Hon Matthew Cheung (5th left); Commissioner for Sports Yeung Tak-keung (4th left); the Cluba£á?s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (4th right); Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (1st right) and participants from the five a£á?Sports for Alla£á? programmes at the launch ceremony.
Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip (centre); Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen (5th right); Secretary for Labour and Welfare The Hon Matthew Cheung (5th left); Commissioner for Sports Yeung Tak-keung (4th left); the Cluba£á?s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (4th right); Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (1st right) and participants from the five a£á?Sports for Alla£á? programmes at the launch ceremony.

Toasting the success of Community Day 2016 are Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip (front row, 6th right); Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen (front row, 5th right); Secretary for Labour and Welfare The Hon Matthew Cheung (front row, 6th left); Commissioner for Sports Yeung Tak-keung (front row, 5th left); Club Stewards Lester C H Kwok (back row, 5th left); Michael T H Lee (back row, centre); Philip N L Chen (back row, 4th left); the Hon Sir C K Chow (back row, 5th right); the Hon Martin Liao (back row, 3rd left); Mrs Margaret Leung (back row, 4th right) and  Silas Yeung Shiu Shun (back row, 2nd left);  the Cluba£á?s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (front row, 4th right); Mrs Maiko Brown, wife of the late Mr Tobias Brown, donor of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy (back row, 1st right); Member of the Legislative Council The Hon Ma Fung-kwok (front row, 3rd right); President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, Timothy Fok (front row, 4th left); Chairman of the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association of Hong Kong, China, Dr James Lam (front row, 2nd right); Vice-President of the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong Joshua Yau (front row, 3rd left); President of Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association Ronnie Wong (back row, 2nd right); Vice-Chairperson of the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China, Hon Sze-sze (front row, 2nd left); Chief Executive Officer of St Jamesa£á? Settlement Cynthia Luk (front row, 1st left); Executive Director of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Dr Rosanna Wong (front row, 1st right); and the Cluba£á?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (back row, 3rd right) and Executive Director, Corporate Business Planning and Communications, Scarlette Leung (back row, 1st left).
Toasting the success of Community Day 2016 are Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip (front row, 6th right); Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen (front row, 5th right); Secretary for Labour and Welfare The Hon Matthew Cheung (front row, 6th left); Commissioner for Sports Yeung Tak-keung (front row, 5th left); Club Stewards Lester C H Kwok (back row, 5th left); Michael T H Lee (back row, centre); Philip N L Chen (back row, 4th left); the Hon Sir C K Chow (back row, 5th right); the Hon Martin Liao (back row, 3rd left); Mrs Margaret Leung (back row, 4th right) and Silas Yeung Shiu Shun (back row, 2nd left); the Cluba£á?s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (front row, 4th right); Mrs Maiko Brown, wife of the late Mr Tobias Brown, donor of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy (back row, 1st right); Member of the Legislative Council The Hon Ma Fung-kwok (front row, 3rd right); President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, Timothy Fok (front row, 4th left); Chairman of the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association of Hong Kong, China, Dr James Lam (front row, 2nd right); Vice-President of the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong Joshua Yau (front row, 3rd left); President of Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association Ronnie Wong (back row, 2nd right); Vice-Chairperson of the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China, Hon Sze-sze (front row, 2nd left); Chief Executive Officer of St Jamesa£á? Settlement Cynthia Luk (front row, 1st left); Executive Director of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Dr Rosanna Wong (front row, 1st right); and the Cluba£á?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (back row, 3rd right) and Executive Director, Corporate Business Planning and Communications, Scarlette Leung (back row, 1st left).

Commissioner for Sports Yeung Tak-keung (right) presents the Best Turned Out Horse award to the winning stables assistant of Invincible Dragon (left).
Commissioner for Sports Yeung Tak-keung (right) presents the Best Turned Out Horse award to the winning stables assistant of Invincible Dragon (left).

Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen presents The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy to Albert Hung Chao Hong, owner of the winning horse Invincible Dragon.
Secretary for Justice The Hon Rimsky Yuen presents The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy to Albert Hung Chao Hong, owner of the winning horse Invincible Dragon.

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