1st Hong Kong Football 5-a-side Championship
2012-01-01
1st Hong Kong Football 5-a-side Championship cum Launching Ceremony of the Project “Creating Opportunities for Equal Participation”The 1st Hong Kong Football 5-a-side Championship cum the Launching Ceremony of the Project “Creating Opportunities for Equal Participation”
On September 3 (Saturday), Hong Kong Blind Sports Federation held the 1st Hong Kong football 5-a-side Championship and the launching ceremony of the project “Creating Opportunities for Equal Participation” at Shek Kip Mei Park Sports Center. Thanks to the generous sponsorship by the Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) and Labour and Welfare Bureau and the selfless assistance of volunteers, the event was concluded with a great success.
Number of Participants:
Over 1,000 people participated in this event, among whom were 60 visually impaired HKBSF members and footballers, 40 members of the Sun Hung Kai Volunteer Team, and over 900 staff members of SCB with their families.
It was our great honour to have invited the following distinguished guests at the Awards Presentation Ceremony:
1. Mr. Tony Yue Kwok Leung, MH, JP, Vice-President of Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
2. Mr. Stephen Sui Wai Keung, Commissioner for Rehabilitation of the Labour and Welfare Bureau
3. Mr. Paul Cheung, Assistant Director (Leisure Services) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department
4. Mr. Lee Kin Wo, famous Hong Kong Football Coach
5. Mr. Peter K.W. Sun, MH, Chairman of Hong Kong Blind Sports Federation
6. Mrs. Grace Y.M. Chan, JP, CEO of Hong Kong Blind Sports Federation
7. Ms. Fern Ngai, Head of Corporate Affairs of the Standard Chartered Bank
8. Mr. Ashley Veasey, Chief Information Officer of Standard Chartered Bank
9. Mr. Abel Tang, Head of Technology, Operations and Data Management of Standard Chartered Bank
During the event, all footballers, regardless of their degree of visual impairment, were required to wear blindfold and headband. The football used was specially designed with a sound mechanism inside so that the footballers could hear the ball moving and chase it under the direction of sighted guides on both sides of the pitch. After fierce competitions, the two blind teams were tied at 3:3, which meant that they had to take the penalty shootout. Finally, the Flying Dragon Team won by shooting in 2 penalty kicks and the audience applauded enthusiastically in support of all the footballers.
At the Awards Presentation Ceremony, Mr. Lee Kin Wo presented the bronze medal and trophy to the second runner-up, the Eternal Team, Mr. Tony Yue Kwok Leung, MH, JP awarded the silver medal and trophy to the first runner-up, the Rainbow Team, and Mr. Stephen Sui Wai Keung conferred the gold medal and trophy to the champion, the Flying Dragon Team. All the athletes were very excited on receiving their medals and held their trophies high when taking group photos with the honourable guests.
Towards the end of the ceremony, Mr. Lee Kin Wo, the famous Hong Kong football coach, remarked, “It is the first time I’ve ever watched a blind football game. I think we should look on the blind footballers as our role model. Although they can’t see, they never give up. From them we can learn that nothing is impossible as long as we persist.”
After the ceremony, the SCB GTO FUN Carnival ensued. Participants enjoyed a variety of booth games, such as fairy fishing, jigsaws, experiencing visual impairment, archery, 3-legged race and tug-of-war. All participants got different gifts after playing the games. In addition, two members of HKBSF, Ms. Wong Mei Ling and Mr. Liu Tak Kin participated in the Imitation Contest and won the third and first prizes respectively by imitating Ronaldinho, the Brazilian football star and Lee Kin Wo, the former Hong Kong Footballer of the Year.
To sum up, HKBSF would like to extend gratitude to all who have supported and participated in this event. Special thanks should go to Standard Chartered Bank, Labour and Welfare Bureau as well as the Sun Hung Kai Volunteer Team. Without their generous sponsorship and strong support, this event would not have been held so smoothly and successfully.
