6,000 take a sporting chance

The Hong Kong Sports Institute held its open days over the weekend drawing an impressive attendance of almost 8,000 citizens that marked the return of the open days after a three-year hiatus.

On Saturday, the two-day event welcomed about 1,000 visitors, including local students and community organizations. Yesterday, it was opened to the public free of charge. The Jockey Club Sports Plus Elite Athlete Community program collaborated in hosting the open day.

Tang King-sing, the chairman of the institute, expressed his gratitude for the positive response from citizens, adding that over 6,000 citizens had signed up and participated in the event on the second day.

Tang also extended his appreciation to the Jockey Club and the government for their support in fostering the development of the local sports industry.

"The government's dedication to enhancing policies and allocating more resources to training enables talented athletes to pursue their dreams," he said. "Recently, our elite athletes have accomplished lots of good results in various competitions and I encourage the public to continue supporting them in the upcoming Paris Olympic Games and Paralympic Games."

The open day featured elite athlete-sharing sessions, allowing citizens to engage with Hong Kong athletes at close quarters. Wong Wai-chun, who secured a gold medal for the SAR in rowing at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, attributed his victory to the support he received from the institute.

Wong acknowledged the contribution of his coaches, nutritionists and other members of his dedicated team to his success. The open day included sports tryout booths and fitness challenges.

Visitors had the opportunity to try their hand at golf, rowing, windsurfing, and more, facilitated by the 13 National Sports Associations.

The sports tryout booths were particularly popular among families and teenagers. Li, a secondary school student who plays badminton as a hobby, expressed her appreciation for the chance to explore new sports. She singled out her experience with the dragon boat ergometer as particularly memorable, as it provided her with a stimulating introduction to the sport.

A mother, Leung, brought her children to the event. Her son, who has a passion for running, thoroughly enjoyed the active activities on offer, with tenpin bowling being his favorite.

Leung said: "My son derived a sense of accomplishment from knocking down the pins and was having a wonderful time at the event."

Another mother, Wu, who loves running and hiking, wanted to expose her daughter to the athletic atmosphere at the event. She was impressed by the coaches' ability to tailor the activities to children of different ages. Wu said her most memorable moment was when her daughter tried golf for the first time. Despite having no prior experience, her daughter swung the golf club precisely, assisted by the friendly staff.