Recreation, sport and the arts provide opportunities for the people of Hong Kong to improve the quality of their lives. The Government aims to nurture an environment in which creative freedom, a pluralist approach to the 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. A number of expert bodies have contributed to the development of these policies, including the Hong Kong Sports Development Board, which was replaced by the Hong Kong Sports Institute in October, 2004, the former Culture and Heritage Commission, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Antiquities Advisory Board, which are both statutory bodies.

The Sports Institute, an incorporated body, is part of a new administrative structure for sports development with a particular focus on high-performance sports training. In January, the Government also established the Sports Commission to advise on all sport development matters in Hong Kong. The commission, in turn, is advised by the Elite Sports Committee, the Major Sports Events Committee and the Community Sports Committee which it oversees. The new administrative structure marks an important milestone for sports development in Hong Kong.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is responsible for promoting and developing recreation and sport at the community level. It coordinates the provision of high-quality recreational and sports facilities and supports and organises training programmes and sports competitions to help identify talented individuals and improve sports standards.

The department also works closely with the District Councils, the national sports associations under the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, district sports associations 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 2005 included the Young Athletes Training Scheme, the School Sports Programme, the Community Sports Club Project, the District Sports Teams Training Scheme and the Healthy Exercise for All Campaign. The department also administers a sports subvention scheme to provide financial assistance to national sports associations to organise sports programmes for the community, and designates sports venues for use by national sports associations as national squad training centres.

In 2002, the LCSD began to phase in a new mode of operation at recreational venues to provide better service to the public. Venue managers now provide one-stop service and members of the public may book facilities, register and pay fees for recreational programmes, and obtain professional advice and assistance while using facilities or participating sports programmes at 149 venues.

The LCSD supported the Government's greening policy during the year by carrying out extensive tree planting programmes in parks, playgrounds and by the roadsides. In addition, various educational and community greening activities were organised to promote public awareness of the importance of a green environment.

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 the 18 districts. Officers of the department issued more than 70 fixed-penalty tickets to littering/spitting offenders during 2005.