The kick off ceremony of Sports & Exercise for Health – Marching Towards Olympics 2008 was successfully held at the University Sports Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong during Alumni Homecoming on 5th March 2006 from 10:30am to 12:30pm. The premier event was organized by the CUHK – WHO Collaborating Centre for Sports Medicine and Health Promotion of the School of Public Health with the support of CUHK Senate Committee of Physical Education, Physical Education Unit and Alumni Affairs Office of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Professor Lawrence J Lau, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, was invited to officiate at the ceremony along with other guests including Professor Kenneth Young, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor Tai-fai Fok, Dean of Faculty of Medicine. A friendly soccer match between CUHK alumni and medical alumni was held at the Sir Philip Haddon-Cave Sports Field. Professor Tai-fai Fok also kicked off the match.

The excellent rope skipping and lion dance performance were enjoyed by the audience. A Fun Fair of Exercise for Health was also well-received, which offered participants chances to put words into action by exploring on the spot a number of exercises like rowing machines, physical fitness assessment, table tennis, tennis, golf, woodball, and so on.

“The event aims at promoting sports and exercise for health for all alumni, staff and students as well as their families in an effort to help them build a healthy lifestyle. It also serves to promote the notion of Olympism to the community in supporting the forthcoming Beijing Olympic Games in 2008,” according to Professor Kai Ming Chan, Chairman of Organizing Committee and Director of CUHK-WHO Collaborating Centre for Sports Medicine and Health Promotion.

“Exercise for health has actually been identified and endorsed in the recent Technical Meeting of WHO Collaborating Centres held in Singapore as one of the major themes in health policy planning for the next 5 years. It is also essentially one of the primary aims of CUHK in their effort and dedication to promote exercise and health to the community over the past decades,” said Professor Lawrence Lau.

The project is therefore both timely and meaningful. Exercise for health is a two-year project consisting of bi-monthly seminars on health issues which are open to all CUHK alumni, staff, students and their families.