The 9th Hong Kong Games (HKG) Opening Ceremony was held at the Hong Kong Coliseum this afternoon (April 21). The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, officiated at the ceremony and, together with athletes from the 18 districts and members of the public, witnessed the official opening of the 9th HKG.

     Addressing the ceremony, the Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, said the Sports Commission holds the HKG every two years, offering an opportunity for athletes to showcase their talent and compete. Mr Lau called on members of the public to come to watch the matches and cheer for the athletes at the competitions, as well as joining the community participation programmes to echo the HKG's slogan "Our City, Our Games".
 
     After Mr Chan made an announcement of the official opening of the 9th HKG, an athlete representative from Yuen Long District, the overall champion of the 7th HKG, took an oath on behalf of all participating athletes of the 9th HKG.

     Mainland Olympic gold medallists Wang Yilyu (badminton) and Ding Ning (table tennis) and Hong Kong medallists Samuel Hui and Minnie Soo held the torch to enter the venue and lit the cauldron of the Games.

     The ceremony's programme featured a variety of performances, including performances by winning teams of the 18 districts' cheering team competition in the pre-show to demonstrate the uniqueness and vitality of their districts. There were also lion dances; demonstrations of breaking, skateboarding, wushu and Latin dance; variety shows by elite athletes, and performances by pop singers. Highlights of the ceremony will be broadcast on TVB Jade between 10.30pm and 11.30pm tonight.
      
     Also officiating at today's ceremony were Members of the Legislative Council Mr Ma Fung-kwok and Mr Vincent Cheng; the President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), Mr Timothy Fok; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu; the Commissioner for Sports, Mr Sam Wong; the Chairman of the 9th HKG Organising Committee, Professor Patrick Yung; and Executive Advisers of the Organising Committee Mr William Tong and Mr David Yip.

     The inter-district sports competitions of the 9th HKG are being held from today to June 9. The competitions cover eight sports, namely athletics, badminton, 3-on-3 basketball, futsal, swimming, table tennis, tennis and volleyball. The four events of the sports competitions for people with disabilities include wheelchair 3-on-3 basketball, boccia, and swimming and table tennis for people with intellectual disabilities. And the four Urban Sports Demonstration Competitions include women's futsal, breaking, skateboarding and sport climbing.

     In order to boost the lively atmosphere of the Games, not only finals of all sports competitions will be webcast live, but also seven of the final competitions will be broadcast live on Radio Television Hong Kong TV 32, namely women's futsal & futsal (May 25), table tennis & table tennis for persons with intellectual disabilities (May 26), badminton (June 1 and 2), 3-on-3 basketball and wheelchair 3-on-3 basketball (June 2), allowing more people to enjoy these exciting events.

     Members of the public can also take part in community participation programmes, such as the Dynamic Moments Photo Contest and voting and guessing activities. Details of these programmes and the competition schedule are available on the HKG designated website www.hongkonggames.hk.

     The 9th HKG is organised by the Sports Commission and co-ordinated by its Community Sports Committee, with the Home Affairs Department, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the SF&OC, and the relevant National Sports Associations of the sports competitions as co-organisers. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is the major sponsor of the event.

              

     The 49th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, being one of the most significant global annual events on inventions, was held from April 17 to 21 in Geneva, Switzerland. Hong Kong delegation was the largest ever, comprising close to 700 representatives from 40 organisations including universities, research and development centres, research laboratories, technology companies, government departments, and primary and secondary schools. The delegation has won a record high number of over 350 prizes, including six Special Awards, 28 Gold Medals with Congratulations of Jury and 114 Gold Medals.

     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, today (April 21), congratulated the Hong Kong delegation. He said, "The record-breaking number of awards won by the delegation at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva this year is encouraging as it not only reflects the international recognition of Hong Kong's research and scientific achievements, but also exemplifies Hong Kong's profound strength in innovation and technology (I&T), which has laid a solid foundation for Hong Kong to become an international I&T centre."

     â€‹A sick 62-year-old female person in custody at Lo Wu Correctional Institution died in a public hospital today (April 21).

     The person in custody suffered from lung cancer. She required continuous medical care and follow-up treatment at the institution hospital and a public hospital. On April 8, she was sent to a public hospital for treatment due to physical discomfort. During hospitalisation, her condition deteriorated and she was certified dead at 2.23pm today.

     The case has been reported to the Police. A death inquest will be held by the Coroner's Court.

     The person in custody was sentenced to imprisonment for the offence of theft in September 2023.

     Jointly organised by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education (CPCE) and the Working Group on Local Community under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee, the Basic Law Quiz Competition Final and Prize Presentation Ceremony was held today (April 21). This year's competition received an overwhelming response, attracting a record-breaking number of over 42 000 participants.
      
     Speaking at the ceremony, the Acting Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, said that the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) stemmed from the Constitution. Article 31 of the Constitution stipulates that "the state may establish special administrative regions when necessary". The formulation of the Basic Law and the "one country, two systems" principle were also based on the Constitution. Under the "one country, two systems" principle, the Central Government authorises the HKSAR to enact laws on its own to prohibit acts that endanger national security in accordance with Article 23 of the Basic Law. The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance officially took effect upon gazettal on March 23, ensuring the effective protection of national security and enhancing social stability and harmony. With safety comes stability; with stability comes prosperity.
      
     He added that the HKSAR Government has been dedicated to enhancing public understanding of the Constitution, the Basic Law and the National Security Law, while the ceremony is one of the flagship events of the HYAB. He said he was delighted to know that the number of participants this year reached a record high and thanked the public for their support for the competition.
      
     The quiz competition covered the relationship between the Constitution and the Basic Law, the Basic Law and its history and the National Security Law. The competition comprises the Family, Senior Primary School, Secondary School and Open categories. To tie in with the quiz competition, the organisers hosted four seminars in February and March to introduce the Constitution and the Basic Law to secondary and primary school students.
      
     The HYAB has long been working closely with the CPCE in promoting the Constitution, the Basic Law and the National Security Law at the community level through various channels and diversified means, including publishing parent-child magazines, creating websites and social media pages, organising competitions, seminars and exhibitions, as well as sponsoring eligible organisations to organise various promotional and exchange activities on civic and national education.

      

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs detected two dangerous drugs internal concealment cases involving two incoming passengers at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 1.4 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $1.4 million today (April 21) and yesterday (April 20). 
      
     In the first case, Customs officers yesterday intercepted a 36-year-old male passenger, who arrived in Hong Kong from Montego Bay, Jamaica, via Frankfurt, Germany, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. During customs clearance, Customs officers found him to be suspicious and suspected that the passenger had dangerous drugs concealed inside his body cavity. He was then escorted to the hospital for examination.
      
     Upon examination on the same day, he was confirmed by a doctor to have foreign objects concealed inside his body cavity and was arrested. As at 3pm today, the arrested person has discharged 55 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 800 grams in total.
      
     The second case involved a 37-year-old male passenger arriving in Hong Kong from Entebbe, Uganda via Doha, Qatar, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found him to be suspicious and suspected that he had dangerous drugs concealed inside his body cavity. He was then escorted to the hospital for examination.
      
     Upon examination, the doctor today confirmed the man to have foreign objects concealed inside his body cavity. He was arrested immediately. As at 3pm today, the arrested man has discharged 48 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 600g in total.
      
     Investigations of the two cases are ongoing.
      
     Following the increasing number of visitors to Hong Kong, Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
      
     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
      
     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).