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ASIAN GAMES COMMITTEE VISITS HONG KONG

The four-member Olympic Council of Asia's Evaluation Committee has arrived in Hong Kong's to scrutinise Hong Kong?s bid to host the 2006 Asian Games

During their three-day visit, the committee will assess the sports facilities and meet government officials, members of the bid committee, as well as community leaders and local sports representatives.

The group will be taken on a helicopter tour so as to get an overall view of the various sites that will stage 30 different events, according to Tony Eason, head of Hong Kong's Asian Games bid team

"It's time for us to be the host," Mr Eason said. "We think this would be an event to boost Hong Kong's reputation as a sports centre and raise the standards of our sportsmen. It will provide the inspiration Hong Kong's athletes need to do just that much better."

Four cities - Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Doha (Qatar) and New Delhi (India) - are the contenders to host the games.

The assessment team will report their findings to the executive council of the OCA during the General Assembly in Pusan, South Korea, in November. During the meeting, the 44 members of the OCA board will select a venue by open vote.