Step up and be active
More than 2,000 dancers and rope skippers took part in the Sport for All carnival at Kowloon Park on Sunday.
The celebration marked the conclusion of the 50th Festival of Sport - Hong Kong's annual mini-Olympics.
It is a three-month programme organised by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) and sponsored by the Bank of China.
Hundreds of spectators joined stretching exercises on Sunday, filling the festival's closing ceremony with an energetic atmosphere.
Under the theme 'Healthy Exercise for All', Hong Kongers have been encouraged to participate in sports activities every day.
In order to convey the message of 'Sport for All' to the public, a total of 76 sports competitions, fun days and demonstrations were organised by 64 national sports associations around the territory.
Families and students joined dancing and rope-skipping activities at Kowloon Park. Wearing colourful costumes, more than 1,000 dancers from Hong Kong Dancesport Association performed their complex routines.
The two-hour ceremony included a dazzling rope-skipping display by more than 1,000 members of the Hong Kong College of Cardiology Jump Rope for Heart Programme, as well as Skipper Z, the winners of the World Rope Skipping Championship.
Local artists, including boy band EO2, singer Vincy Tang and female pop group Hotcha, attended the carnival. Pop duo Soler, this year's Festival of Sport ambassadors, performed at the showpiece.
Top Hong Kong athletes were also present at Kowloon Park last Sunday. Chan Yun-to (bodybuilding), Cheung Yi-nei (fencing), Chan Ka-man (karatedo) and Yung Ka-yan (rowing) - all medal winners at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar - led the way by performing stretching exercises.
The closing ceremony was officiated by SF&OC vice-president Hu Fa-kuang, Raymond Lee, executive director and chief financial officer of the Bank of China and Vincent Liu, deputy director of leisure and cultural services.
