Hong Kong-Sports Centre Of The Orient

For a relaxing holiday with great iriety Hong Kong can offer more lan just shopping and sightseeing, part from relaxing on any one of ong Kong’s many beaches it is also >ssible to take a more active part i a number of sports in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is the location for an icreasing number of international impetitions in such diverse fields as >-karting, tennis, sailing, and golfing, ebruary this year gave visitors and ;sidents of Hong Kong the chance ► see top international golfers display ieir skills in the Hong Kong Open olf Championship at the Royal ong Kong Golf Club, Fanling. The ro-Am Tournament was held in con nction with the big competition and ie four day event attracted large owds.

The Fanling Golf Course which in ct has three 18-hole courses is open • visitors from Monday to Friday at moderate charge, and can be ached easily by car or by train, n Hong Kong Island the Deep r ater Bay Golf Course with only ne holes offers an exciting after )on’s golfing in a spectacular setting st by the beach.

For those who want to keep up eir handicap while on holiday the >lf-driving range at the South China thletics Association in Happy Valley open each evening from Monday Friday. Visitors become associate embers for a nominal charge of )Out SAI and can then enjoy the cilities at the Caroline Hill Stadium hich also include a ten pin bowling ley and a billiard room. There are so two bowling centres in Kowloon isily accessible to visitors, one in ar House and one at the Brunswick entre near the Sheraton Hotel.

Last year Hong Kong hosted the 505 World Yachting Championships and this year’s China Sea Race proved to be more than usually competitive with several international teams participating. Members of other yacht clubs around the world may make use of the sailing facilities at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, and non-members can hire a motorised junk or cruiser for a day’s outing to one of Hong Kong’s many islands.

A motorised junk can also be hired for a deep sea fishing trip in Clear Water Bay at approximately SA7 for one day. Here there is a great variety of fish with plenty of catches for lucky fishermen. Other fishing areas include Tsing Lung Tau and Tai Po Kau, and sampan fishing in Tolo Harbour. Hong Kong also has a number of reservoirs well stocked with fish. During the winter season it is possible to fish in these reservoirs

but a licence is required from the Waterworks Department, Still in the area of aquatic sports, skin divers will find excellent con ditions in Clear Water Bay and Mirs Bay in the north-eastern part of the New Territories where visibility ranges from 25 to 50 feet and oc casionally as much as 90 feet. The season is from April to October, and a wet suit is recommended as water temperature varies considerably and jelly fish can be a problem. Equip ment is available for rent and pur chase. Members of the World Diving Federation can get discounts on pur chases and are also welcomed as temporary members of local skin diving clubs. The Sea Dragon Skin Diving Club has a long-range diving boat which carries up to 100 passen gers for short trips and less for longer excursions. All facilities are available on board including under-water

[?]chts participating in last year's 505 [?]orld championships are seen here off Repulse Bay.

scooters, and in the near future there will also be a decompression cham ber. At the moment there is only one decompression chamber at the Royal Navy Base, HMS Tamar.

Water-skiing can be arranged at Deep Water Bay, where the Water Ski Club charges SA9 an hour for a speedboat with operator and skis.

The Happy Valley Race Meetings held through October till May are popular events on Saturday after noons, and now also on some Wed nesday evenings. Off-course betting has recently been introduced and in tensified the interest in these races.

It is also possible to go riding on your own at several stables near Fanling. You can go for a steady trek round the valley or for a more exciting ride on hillside paths if you are an experienced rider.

There are tennis courts at Bowen Road and Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island and at Kowloon Tsai Park in Kowloon.

For spectator sports there is also football, with many international games against visiting teams. Cricket can be enjoyed on Hong Kong’s sedate cricket field in the middle of Central.

British Airways has some exciting new cheap holidays to offer in Hong Kong. There is the two day stopover (not including the air fare) which is available for as little as 5A20.30 per person (sharing a twin room and depending on the hotel chosen) and includes hotel accommodation, air port transfers, continental breakfast and a sightseeing tour.

Complete holidays are available from Sydney and cost from SAB47 for 13 days in Hong Kong, including the air fare. For those with more time available a tour embracing Bali, Singapore, Bangkok, Macau and Japan as well as Hong Kong, taking 35 days, can be bought for 5A1,625 per person. This includes the economy air fare from Sydney, ac commodation in fully air-conditioned budget class hotels, table d’hote meals, airport transfers, gratuities and local taxes.

More information about Hong Kong may be obtained from offices of the Hong Kong Tourist Association at: PO Box 2597, Hong Kong; Bligh House, 4 Bligh Street, Sydney; or Hong Kong Bank Building, 160 San some Street, San Francisco 94104.