Members of Working Group on Patriotic Education and public show support for national team athletes participating in Paris Olympics (with photo)

     The Chief Secretary for Administration and the Chairman of the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee (CBLPSC), Mr Chan Kwok-ki, together with the Convenor of the Working Group on Patriotic Education (Working Group), Ms Starry Lee, a number of non-official members of the Working Group, official members of the Working Group – the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, and the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, tonight (August 9) joined members of the public at a shopping mall in Kowloon City District to watch national team athletes competing in the diving final competition in the Paris Olympic Games.

     National team athletes, Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani, competed in the Women's 3-meter Springboard Diving Final of the Paris Olympic Games. Mr Chan, together with members of the Working Group and the public, watched the live broadcast of the event in the shopping mall and cheered for the two athletes. Everyone enjoyed the lively atmosphere there. They witnessed Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani winning the gold and bronze medals respectively and bringing glory to the country.

     Mr Chan said that he and the Convenor of the Working Group, Ms Starry Lee, visited Beijing this week to learn about the country’s achievements of taking forward patriotic education, to which they will make reference in the context of Hong Kong. They learnt that patriotic education must be intertwined with people’s daily lives so that the spirit of patriotism can take root in society and people's hearts, with sport precisely being an important area of patriotic education.

     Mr Chan added that the motherland is making every effort to develop itself into a country strong in sports by improving people's health, and showcasing the country’s soft power, through sports. The Chinese athletes who unleash their potential, fight hard and bring glory to the country in the Olympic Games are role models. He stressed that we are all Chinese who love and cherish our motherland and hope the motherland will continue to advance and shine brightly on the global stage; and that such resonance and consensus constitute the spirit of patriotism that we are eager to pursue and promote.

     Established in April this year under the CBLPSC, the Working Group comprises the relevant Directors of Bureaux, Heads of Departments, and representatives of the relevant sectors of society. To take forward patriotic education in an all-round manner, the Working Group focuses efforts on four aspects, namely school education; the local community; history, politics, economy and culture; and media publicity. The Working Group co-ordinates the work of government departments and non-governmental organisations in taking forward national education and dovetailing with the Patriotic Education Law of the People's Republic of China, with a view to enhancing education on the country's history, culture and current affairs on different fronts, thereby promoting patriotism and ensuring its continuity from generation to generation.