SDB arranges get-together to smooth merger
SPORTS Development Board chairman David Gledhill has invited all national associations to a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the body's proposed integration with the Hongkong Sports Institute.
Gledhill and A. de O. Sales, president of the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee who represents the interests of associations, have recently been engaged in a war of words over the controversial merger.
Sales claims that the associations have not been kept informed of latest developments while Gledhill feels it is the ASF & OC's responsibility to keep their members abreast of events.
At an ASF & OC meeting on Thursday, it was agreed that the associations will support the merger, on condition that they are not kept in the dark, having initially threatened to delay the integration through legislative process.
In a statement issued yesterday, Gledhill said: ''I am pleased to hear that associations support the integration.
''The development of the Jubilee Sports Centre, its evolution into the Hongkong Sports Institute and the establishment of the Sports Development Board have contributed significantly to the development of Hongkong sport.
''The SDB board meetings are a forum for the exchange of ideas and development of policy. It is a pity that the associations have been kept in the dark for so long by the organisation that is there, as of right, to represent their interests.'' The meeting will be held at the Hongkong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The board and institute are due to merge in April next year.
