YING WA COLLEGE had to squeeze its two day swimming gala into a one day event when bad weather upset the schedule recently.
The Kowloon Tsai Swimming Pool was heavily booked and the school was forced to cut short its programme, said Pong Yiu-wing, head of the physical education department.
To encourage participation, a special scoring system was introduced. Swimmers who completed an event earned one entry point for their House, while those who made a new school record were awarded three extra points. The penalty for swimmers who failed to turn up for an event was waived.
'Given the unstable weather conditions, some students had their reasons for not being present,' Mr Pong said.
In spite of the setbacks, like bad weather and swimmers withdrawing from events, the gala was a success. Seven new school records were set, while Ho Fok Tong House won the overall championship.
Chief guest Yeung Kam-ming, an old boy of Ying Wa College, praised the swimmers for their fine performance, but urged them to do still better. His wife, Mrs Marina Yeung, presented the prizes.
