In response to The Association For International Sport for All (TAFISA)’s initiative and to encourage the Macao citizens to get into the good habit of performing 15-minutes of exercise a day, the Macao Sport Development Board and the Municipal Affairs Bureau organized the “2012 World Challenge Day” jointly with the Health Bureau on May 30th. This year, the competing city was Desemparados, a city in Costa Rica with an approximate population of 292,000.
The “2012 World Challenge Day” was held from 7 am to 9 pm on May 30th. Citizens who completed 15 minutes of exercise on the day could register their efforts with the Organizer over the phone, by fax or through the Internet. To strengthen the promotion of this event, staff wearing the “530 World Challenge Day” T-shirt were sent to carry out promotional activities at the Guia Hill, the Leal Senado Square, the Iao Hon Park, the Camões Garden, in Horta e Costa, in the reservoir, in Flower City Park and Rua do Regedor. Special recreational activities and performances were conducted at the Leal Senado Square and Iao Hon Park. Free physical fitness assessment services were also made available at the Leal Senado Square.
In addition, on May 30th, the sports venues under the management of Macao Sport Development Bureau were opened to the public for free during the individual use periods. The three swimming pools and recreational facilities at the Hac Sá Beach, managed by the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, were also open to the public free of charge.
Macao has been invited by TAFISA to participate in the World Challenge Day since 2001. This year marked Macao 12th consecutive year participation in this event. With the active support of government departments, organizations, clubs, schools, companies and people from all sectors of the society, Macao has once again triumphed over their opponent city in the Challenge and recorded a new high of 248,819 participants, tallying to 44.46% of the total population.
