In a colourful ceremony at Times Square in Causeway Bay today (April 8), CABLE TV was formally appointed Official Broadcaster for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the world’s most important sports event.

In addition, the ceremony pledged Hong Kong’s full support to the Chinese national football team, which will kick off its campaign this month in what promises to represent its best chance in history to qualify for the prestigious World Cup Finals.

The ceremony was hosted by CABLE TV’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Stephen Ng. Also showing their support to the Chinese national team at the ceremony included Mr Zhao Guangting, Director-General of the Publicity, Culture and Sports Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Mr Timothy Fok, President of the Hong Kong Football Association; Ms Liao Xiaoqing, a delegate to The Chinese People‘s Political Consultative Conference and famous Chinese actress; and Mr Steven Chau Sing Chi, one of Hong Kong ‘s best known comedians.

As Official Broadcaster, CABLE TV has been granted exclusive broadcast rights for all of the 64 matches in the 2002 World Cup Finals. In addition, CABLE TV has won exclusive rights to broadcast over 340 qualifying matches from around the world. In aggregate, over 400 World Cup matches will be broadcast, representing by far the most extensive coverage of any World Cup tournament in the history of Hong Kong.

In the next 15 months, in addition to extensive coverage of the qualifying matches, CABLE TV will produce a series of ancillary programmes, spanning from travelogue to information and entertainment, leading up to the Finals next summer. Production crews will be sent to Japan and South Korea, where the Finals will be held from May 31 to June 30, as well as to major football powers around the world, to update viewers on their preparations for the world’s most important football event.

“The tournament next year will be the first World Cup in the New Millennium. It will also be the first time that the event will be held in Asia. We have meticulously drawn up a year long programming and promotion campaign to give the event the coverage in unprecedented breadth and depth that viewers have come to expect from the No. 1 Station for Sports in Hong Kong. In doing so, our goal is to give our subscribers a whole new experience in watching the event on television,” Mr Ng said at the ceremony.

Mr Ng also used the occasion to urge Hong Kong fans to pledge their full support for the Chinese national football team in their qualification campaign. “This will represent by far China’s best chance in football history to qualify through to the Finals of this prestigious sports event. We have secured exclusive broadcasting rights for the six preliminary round matches played by the China team at home and in the Maldives, Indonesia and Cambodia from April. Everyone in Hong Kong will wish the national team a highly successful campaign and will want to be proud of the team’s acheivements,” Mr Ng added.

At 3pm today, about 200 school children converged to the Open Piazza of Times Square, rolling a giant football, to kick off the World Cup ceremony, signifying support to the football game as well as for the China team from all corners of Hong Kong.

Amidst fanfare and footage of World Cup Golden Moments shown on the giant screen of Times Square, Mr Stephen Ng received a momento from FIFA’s distributor, represented by Mr Charlie Charters, Vice President of ISL Asia Pacific, to symbolise CABLE TV’s appointment as Official Broadcaster for 2002 FIFA World Cup.

The other officiating guests were then invited on stage to talk about their expectation of the Chinese football team and signed on the giant football to show their support to the team. The ceremony ended when Mr Ng and officiating guests unwrapped a giant gift box and distributed souvenirs to spectators.

Following the ceremony today, CABLE TV begins a year-long programming and promotion activities to make the World Cup next year talk of the town.

The friendly matches of France, the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2000 European Championships holder, Italy and England.