Bulletin Autumn 1976

Education & Sports Activities at CUHK It has been the University's policy to promote physical education, sports and recreational activities among the students. Due to the hard work of the Physical Education teachers and various studen t organizations, the standard of sports activities has made considerable progress. This University's sports activities are characterized by their popularity and variety. On the one hand, students enjoy all forms of traditional sports prevalent in Hong Kong: dragon dance, lion dance, kung-fu, Tai Chi-chuan (Chinese shadow boxing), shuttlecock and even dragon boat race; and on all special occasions, dragon or lion dance has become an indispensable item. On the other hand, students are offered a wide choice of other popular sports: Ball game : backetball, soccer, volleyball, table tennis, hockey, German handball, badminton, Softball Aquatic sports: swimming, diving, life-saving, canoeing Others : track and field events, archery, mountain climbing, dancing, gymnastics, judo, karate and other forms of self-defence, weight-lifting and yoga etc. Sports activities owe their popularity among students of this University to a number of reasons. University's Promotion of Physical Education First, the promotion of Physical Education on the part of the University. The provision of sports fields, gymnasiums and recreational grounds was given the same priority as classrooms, laboratories and libraries in the construction programme. The indoor gymnasiums of United College and New Asia College were completed in 1972 and 73 respectively, and no time was lost in providing facilities for university- wide purposes -- the University Sports Field and the Swimming Pool of the Benjamin Franklin. Centre. Chung Chi College, which has for some years had its own sports field and stadium, has also converted the old canteen into a recreation room for the practice of judo, dancing and table tennis. With the availability of the basic sports facilities, Physical Education was made a compulsory course for all freshmen and an elective course for second-, third- and fourth-year students. Students' general performance, progress made and their attitude towards Physical Education courses are taken into consideration but undue importance is not attached to the achievement of a certain standard. Physical Education courses should be taken as induction courses for students, who may, in the course of their University career, develop a life-long interest in one of the sports. Physical Education teachers, on their part, are all very keen on the promotion of sports. Before moving into the Shatin campus , United College had to share with another institution the use of one basketball court, and the plight of New Asia was no better, but their enthusiasm was not in the least affected, and the two Colleges' sports activities flourished despite these limitations. Chung Chi College, taking advantage of its location, has regularly held competitions in ball games, track and field events ， and other sports, and organized the cross harbour swimming race, Ma On Shan climbing contest, round campus race and hiking on Pat Sin Range etc. Spontaneity of Students Second, spontaneity of the students. Owing to the shortage of land in Hong Kong, most secondary schools do not have adequate facilities for physical activities, and most of the students have little , if any, training in physical education. When they enter the University, they tend to take full advantage of the better facilities and take an active part in physical training and various kinds of sports activities. It is of interest to note that in a survey conducted by the CU Student, a publication of the University Student Union, in 1973 ， 86% of the students considered Physical Education courses ‘extremely necessary' or 'necessary', despite students' apathy towards most compulsory courses. The popularity of Physical Education courses may be seen from the following table: