The Home Affairs Bureau of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee and Sports Association for the Physically Disabled jointly held the "300-day Countdown to Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games" on Sunday, marking the launch of a series of activities to promote the Paralympic and Olympic Games.

Officiating at the countdown activity, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Carrie Yau said the government would now gradually step up its publicity efforts to promote the 2008 Paralympic and Olympic Games.

These would include staging celebration activities to tie in with significant dates of the Paralympic and Olympic Games, the launching of city dress-up and publicity programs and promoting the concept of "A Society for All".

Yau also said the government would seize the opportunity to increase community understanding of the sports in which disabled athletes participate and she appealed to people to take part in various Paralympic and Olympic Games celebration and education activities with the goal of achieving equal splendor for the two Games.

The Para-equestrian Events of the Paralympics will be staged in Hong Kong from September 7-11, 2008.

(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2007)