To encourage citizens to make sports and exercise part of their daily life, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is funding a Sports for All initiative covering five different programmes, each featuring innovative crossover elements. Applications for one of these initiatives, the Jockey Club Learn-to-Swim Programme for Primary Students, will open tomorrow.
Today (2 June), the Club's Head of Charities Projects Rhoda Chan joined Assistant Director of Leisure Services Richard Wong; President of the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association Ronnie Wong; Deputy Chief Executive of Ocean Park Matthias Li; and Assistant Professor of Sport Psychology at the University of Hong Kong, Derwin Chan, at a press conference to launch the programme.
“The Club believes that playing sports not only boosts physical fitness, but can also create positive values and hope in the community,” Ms Chan said. “In the coming few years, we want to play an active role in motivating residents of all ages and abilities to participate in different sports. ”
Ms Chan explained that the Jockey Club Learn-to-Swim Programme for Primary Students is part of the Club’s ‘Sports and Innovation’ concept, in which sports are combined with crossover activities to make them fun and interesting, so as to encourage more people to make sports and exercise a part of their everyday life.
The Jockey Club Learn-to-Swim Programme for Primary Students will be rolled out in three phases over an 18-month period, targeting around 16,500 Hong Kong Primary One pupils who are not yet able to swim. This amounts to about a quarter of all Primary One students in Hong Kong. The first swimming classes will commence in August.
The objective is to provide the students with sufficient basic training to learn survival skills and become confident regular swimmers. Twenty hours of free swimming courses each will be provided by members of the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association.
The first phase will be open for public enrolment tomorrow, with 5,500 places available and priority given to less-privileged Primary One students. The Trust’s funding will also cover a set of swimming gear for each participant including a swimsuit, swim cap and goggles, so that parents will not need to worry about any extra expense. For further details, please visit www.jc-learntoswim.hk.
As a further means of motivating the children to learn swimming, the Club will collaborate with Ocean Park and add marine conservation messages into its programme. Besides learning more about marine animals and the importance of marine conservation, participants will get the chance of an up-close encounter with the Park’s dolphins. An evidence-based evaluation will be conducted by The University of Hong Kong to assess the programme’s impact and provide better understanding of the swimming abilities and sports experience of Hong Kong’s primary school children.
The Club has long been committed to helping Hong Kong strengthen its sporting infrastructure, as well as promoting a sporting culture in the city and assisting the professional development of Hong Kong athletes. In the past decade alone, the Club has contributed over HK$1.6 billion to sports development. With the vision that ‘All Hong Kong people’ should ‘Love, Value and Play Sports’, the Club has earmarked approximately HK$155 million to support the five Sports for All programmes, which are expected to benefit over 240,000 people.
Two more innovative Sports for All projects are due to be announced soon: the “Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong - Jockey Club ‘Mapperthon Community Action’ Project”, a crossover project for young people and adults combining street sports with local community activities; and another crossover event “St. James’ Settlement Jockey Club ‘Super Senior, Super Show!’ ”, a sports entertainment programme for the young old and elderly. These projects will blend sports training, volunteer work, entertainment and artistic production.
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.
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The Club's Head of Charities Projects Rhoda Chan says the Club wants to play an active role in motivating residents of all ages and abilities to participate in different sports in the coming few years. Using the a£į?Sports and Innovationa£į? concept, the aim is to combine sports with crossover activities to make them fun and interesting and encourage more people to make sports and exercise a part of their everyday life.
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The Club's Head of Charities Projects Rhoda Chan (back row, 3rd left) was joined at todaya£į?s press conference by Assistant Director of Leisure Services Richard Wong (back row, 4th right); President of the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association Ronnie Wong (back row, 3rd right); Deputy Chief Executive of Ocean Park Matthias Li (back row, 2nd left); and Assistant Professor of Sport Psychology at the University of Hong Kong, Derwin Chan (back row, 2nd right).
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Photos 3 /4: The Jockey Club Learn-to-Swim Programme for Primary Students, will open tomorrow. The objective is to provide the students with sufficient basic training to learn survival skills and become confident regular swimmers.
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