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After a four-year hiatus, the FIVB Volleyball Nations League made a long-awaited return to Hong Kong this month. From June 13 to 18, eight world-class groups gathered on the Hong Kong Coliseum to compete for final-round qualification in an exciting show of athleticism and teamwork.
Not solely volleyball fans and sports activities followers but additionally college students and group members with bodily disabilities got here collectively to witness the action-packed occasion.
The FIVB Volleyball Nations League Hong Kong leg was organised by the Volleyball Affiliation of Hong Kong, China. The occasion’s official group associate was The Hong Kong Jockey Membership, reflecting the Membership’s dedication to supporting group engagement and selling wholesome actions.
The occasion acquired off to an outstanding begin because the China girls’s nationwide workforce claimed a straight-sets victory over Canada with a rating of 3-0, setting the tone for an intense and thrilling competitors.
Following the event’s opening ceremony, the Membership Steward Dr Silas Yang was offered with a volleyball signed by the China girls’s nationwide workforce gamers by President of Volleyball Affiliation of Hong Kong, China Wilfred Ng, in appreciation for the Membership’s helpful contribution to the Jockey Membership Volleyball Group Programmes. The programmes allow group members to expertise world-class volleyball first-hand and take part as volunteers and viewers members.
![HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee (centre), Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR Zheng Yanxiong (4th left), Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR Liu Guangyuan (4th right), HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung (3rd right), The Hong Kong Jockey Club Steward Dr Silas Yang (2nd right), President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China Timothy Fok (3rd left) and President of the Volleyball Association of Hong Kong, China Wilfred Ng (1st right) at the opening ceremony for the Volleyball Nations League Hong Kong 2023.](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660w/public/d8/images/2023/06/19/P1_20230613_VNL_HERO.jpg?ssl=1)
![Club Steward Dr Silas Yang (centre) takes a photo at the Jockey Club booth with beneficiaries of the Jockey Club Volleyball Community Programmes.](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/d8/images/2023/06/19/P2_20230613_VNL.jpg?ssl=1)
The programmes supplied as much as 200 volunteers the chance to help in numerous actions associated to the competitors, equivalent to welcoming collaborating nationwide groups, venue set-up, and promotional actions.
![HKSAR Government Deputy Secretary for Justice Horace Cheung (2nd left), Club Steward Dr Silas Yang (1st right) and President of the Volleyball Association of Hong Kong, China Wilfred Ng (1st left) present a souvenir to the most popular player of China team, Yuan Xinyue (2nd right).](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660w/public/d8/images/2023/06/19/Silas_China_Popular_Player.jpeg?ssl=1)
Within the run-up to the competitors on June 10, the In Contact with the China Volleyball Nationwide Group occasion passed off, offering a possibility for the general public, college students, and visually impaired people to take part in a follow session with the nationwide workforce. Drawing in round 3,000 attendees, the occasion was extremely fashionable. One of many principal highlights was the grasp class, which offered some college students with the distinctive alternative to obtain teaching straight from members of the China workforce.
All through the six-day competitors, the “Watch and Hear” Volleyball programme prolonged an invite to greater than 5,000 underprivileged residents, together with college students and visually impaired people who have been supplied with an audio-description service, to immerse themselves within the sport’s thrill totally.
Throughout the competitors, one other initiative was the Eight Worldwide Sports activities Cubicles, positioned within the Hong Kong Coliseum’s piazza and manned by college students. These cubicles have been thoughtfully designed across the theme of sports activities and the distinctive cultures of all eight collaborating international locations, finally selling cultural variety.
To proceed fostering enthusiasm for volleyball and advance social fairness, the upcoming Get pleasure from Sitting Volleyball “As One” occasion in August will characteristic a sequence of sitting volleyball occasions in partnership with native colleges, in addition to the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports activities Affiliation for the bodily disabled.
![With the assistance of the Jockey Club Sports Programmes' Audio-description Service, visually impaired participants were able to experience the excitement of the volleyball court through their sense of hearing and touch.](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660w/public/d8/images/2023/06/19/P4_20230610_VNL.jpg?ssl=1)
“As a volunteer, I am grateful for the Jockey Membership Volleyball Group Programmes and their constructive affect on visually impaired individuals. The professional audio help offered permits them to expertise the top-tier volleyball occasions extra totally,” stated Leung Pui-yu, one of many volunteers.
The Membership firmly believes that sports activities not solely promote bodily well being but additionally domesticate constructive attitudes and foster social cohesion. As a long-time supporter of varied sporting occasions, the Membership is dedicated to selling a wholesome life-style that aligns with its mission of constantly appearing for the betterment of our society. The Membership has been actively selling sports activities at each group and elite ranges by means of numerous initiatives through the years.
The Membership’s dedication to supporting the Jockey Membership Volleyball Group Programmes, together with its different charitable donations, is made potential by its distinctive built-in enterprise mannequin. By means of this mannequin, racing and wagering generate tax and charity help for the group.