Dear friends,

Since the opening of the Hong Kong Blind Sport Federation (HKBSF), in April, 2008, I am very happy to see that the Federation has been developed so well in the past few years with 6 regular sports training programmes in place and over 50 sports tournaments organized for people with visual impairment on a local and regional level. The regular sports training programmes include Marathon, Blind Football, Bowling, Golf, Dragon Boat, and Swimming. I would like to use the opportunity to express my most sincere thanks to coaches and volunteers for their staunch support, without whom our training programmes would not have been conducted so successfully. Their support is indispensable facilitating our visually impaired friends to regain their self-confidence through sports training and tournaments, integrate into society and lead an independent life. Even more, some of our blind athletes have represented Hong Kong to participate in overseas Sports Tournaments. I am so pleased to see such positive changes in our visually impaired friends. As a Volunteer CEO, I feel very rewarding by these encouraging results.

On looking back, HKBSF has been actively participating in and organizing over 50 local and overseas sports tournaments since its establishment. To name a few, they include 2008 Swimathon for Brightness (winning the Guiness World Record of having the most participants (254 people) in the swimming relay in one hour), 2009 Australia - Malaysia - Hong Kong Blind Golf and Bowling Tournament, 2009 Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon, 2010 and 2011 Hong Kong Golf Tournament for all, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, 2010 Beijing international Marathon, 2011 Northern District Long Run,2011 Fubon Taipei Marathon, 2010 and 2011 International Dragon Boat Races and 2011 Winter Swimming Championships. We also organized 2011 1stHong Kong Blind Football Championship, 2011 1st Blind Golf Tournament, 2011 and 2012 Bowling Tournament for all and 2012 1st Blind Bowling Tournament. In these Sports Tournaments, our visually impaired athletes have made outstanding achievements and won quite a number of prizes. They won : Champion and 1stRunner-up in the 2010 and 2011 International Dragon Boat Races respectively, 10 out of 18 prizes in 2011 Fubon Taipei Marathon and Champion, 1st and 2nd Runner-up in 2011 1stHong Kong Blind Football Championship.

Looking ahead, being registered as the Hong Kong Blind Sports Federation as from December, 2011, we shall have an additional responsibility to coordinate all blind organizations in Hong Kong to provide professional sports training courses for people with visual impairment and to identify potential blind athletes for elite athletes training. To this end, we shall work more closely with the International Paralympic Committee in the coming years.

I eagerly look forward to the day that our blind athletics will represent Hong Kong to participate in oversea Sports Tournaments such as Olympic Paralympic Games, Asian Paralympic Games, and Tournaments organized by the International Blind Sport Federation . I appeal to all friends in the community to support us to realize this dream.

Grace Y.M. Chan JP

Founder 

Hong Kong Blind Sports Federation

Dear friends with visual impairment,

Even since I have retired from the post of Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind in January this year, I never give up my dream of serving the blind. I was deeply touched by our blind friends and missed them when they presented a souvenir plaque of "Mother of the Blind" to me at a farewell dinner hosted in my honor by them.

Our blind friends expressed their needs of equal participation in sports practice and to be trained as elite athletes during the farewell dinner. According to them, there was no sports organization specifically for the blind up to that moment. So I decided to start my second career and to establish the Hong Kong Blind Sports Federation. It is hoped that through our Federation, they will have a platform to experience the meaning of equal participation and to participate not only in the programme but also in policy making.

I would like to use this opportunity to express my most sincere thanks to our Chairman, Mr. Sun Kowk Wah, for his full support of my suggestion and providing all the necessary funds to set up the Federation. Through Mr. Sun"s assistance, we have invited renowned community leaders to serve on our Board. They come from di fferent professional sectors: representatives from Commerce and Industry, Public Accountants firm, Sports Sector and blind representatives. May I take this opportunity to thank all our board of directors for giving their staunch support and encouragement to the Federation.

We also receive many warm supports from different organizations. They include: Equal Opportunities Commission, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, related sports organizations, our blind friends, and Sunpower Music Company, Ms. Mary Leung. In order to express our support to the Olympics and promote the concept of equal opportunities, we have selected 20 blind people to sing the theme song "Sports for all in a new World" together with our Chairman, Mr. Sun.

I am looking forward to establish a platform for people with visual impairment in order to foster mutual respect, mutual appreciation and mutual encouragement so as to build a harmonious, inclusive and altruistic society. I have served the blind for 35 years, I firmly believe that everyone should enjoy the same equal rights and equal participation under one world. I hope you will all support me to realize my dream.

Thank you very much!

Grace Y.M. Chan JP

Founder 

Hong Kong Blind Sports Federation