Recreation, sport and the arts provide opportunities for the people of Hong Kong to enrich the quality of their lives. The Government aims to nurture an environment in which freedom of creativity, pluralistic development of the arts, sporting excellence and recreation for the community can thrive.

The Government's policies on sport, recreation, culture and heritage matters are coordinated by the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB). A number of expert bodies contribute to the development of these policies, including the former Hong Kong Sports Development Board, the former Culture and Heritage Commission, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Antiquities Advisory Board.

The continued development of Hong Kong's artistic culture is in part entrusted to the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, which is a statutory body. To set up a new administrative structure for sports development, in July 2003 the Executive Council approved the dissolution of the Hong Kong Sports Development Board and the restructure of the Hong Kong Sports Institute to become an incorporated body to undertake matters pertaining to high performance sports training under the auspices of the Hong Kong Sports Development Board and also the establishment of a new Sports Commission to advise the Government on all matters pertaining to sports development in Hong Kong. The Elite Sports Committee, the Major Sports Events Committee and the Community Sports Committee have been set up under the Sports Commission to offer expert opinions to the Commission on their respective areas. The new administrative structure marks an important milestone for sports development in Hong Kong.

In the field of sport and recreation, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is responsible for promoting and developing recreation and sport at the community level. In 2004, the department continued to coordinate the provision of high-quality recreational and sports facilities and to support and organise training programmes and sports competitions so as to identify talented individuals and improve sports standards.

The department also works closely with the District Councils, the National Sports Associations (NSAs) under the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, district sports associations (DSAs) and schools to promote the concept of 'Sport-for-All' and to encourage people of all ages and from all walks of life to participate in sports and recreational activities.

The sports promotion and development programmes in 2004 included the Young Athletes Training Scheme, School Sports Programme, Community Sports Club Project, District Sports Teams Training Scheme and Age Group Competitions. The department also administered a Sports Subvention Scheme to provide financial assistance to NSAs to organise sports programmes for the community, as well as designated sports venues for use by NSAs as National Squad Training Centres.

To provide better service to the public, the LCSD has been implementing a new mode of operation at recreational venues since 2002. Venue managers have been deployed to provide one-stop service at recreational venues. Users may now book facilities, register and pay charges for recreation programmes, and obtain professional advice and assistance on using facilities and sports programming at 144 venues.

In support of the Government's policy to make Hong Kong green, the LCSD carried out extensive tree planting programmes in parks and playgrounds, as well as on roadsides in 2004. Various educational and community activities were also organised to promote public awareness of the importance of greening.

In cultural services, good progress continued to be made in reviewing the existing policy on built heritage conservation. The department will provide additional funds for the preservation of Hong Kong's cultural heritage to support the development of tourism.

Responding to the call from the Government's Team Clean for widespread action to improve the environment, the LCSD strengthened its enforcement action against unhygienic behaviour, such as littering and spitting at leisure and cultural venues and facilities, particularly during public holidays and weekends in all 18 districts. Officers of the department issued some 153 fixed penalty tickets to littering/spitting offenders during 2004.