Hong Kong, September 21, 2005 – Columbia Sportswear Company's Travel Around the World with Gertrude Boyle Asia Tour made its first stop in Hong Kong on Wednesday, September 21 on the Glacier Ice Rink at Festival Walk in Hong Kong.

Gert Boyle is chairman of Columbia and is no stranger to Special Olympics. She has been an active supporter of Special Olympics and has traveled extensively with Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics. Columbia has sponsored the US Team for Special Olympics for many years.

Hong Kong movie and singing superstar Aaron Kwok was announced as a Columbia spokesperson and showed off the Omni-Tech and Omni-Shield series of Columbia sportswear. Columbia announced that they will donate 10% of net profit from sales of these series of clothing to Special Olympics Hong Kong. Aaron Kwok and Gert Boyle presented these jackets to Mr David Yip, Chairman of Special Olympics Hong Kong.

(l-r) Ms Laiman Tam, MD for Swire Resources; Mr David Yip BBS, Chairman of Special Olympics Hong Kong; Ms Gertrude Boyle, Chairman of Columbia Sportswear; Aaron Kwok, Hong Kong actor and singer

Gert Boyle presented awards to 4 local Hong Kong heroines. Henrietta Siu, mother to two Special Olympics Hong Kong athletes received the prestigious Columbia Tough Mother Award. One of her sons, Kurtis Siu, wowed the audience with an ice skating performance during the event. Ng Sai Kwan and Lee Wai Yu also performed their doubles show. All three Special Olympics athletes competed in the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

Ms Henrietta Siu accepting the Columbia Tough Mother Award from Ms Laiman Tam, MD of Swire Resources Ltd (in red and white jacket) and from Ms Gertrude Boyle, Chairman of Columbia Sportswear (in white jacket).

This event also featured a fashion show on ice with models ice skating in Columbia sportswear clothing. At the conclusion of the event, Mrs Boyle gave out autographed copies of her first autobiography "One Tough Mother, Success in Life, Business & Apple Pie. All the royalties from this book will be donated to Special Olympics and CASA, a non-for-profit serving abused and neglected children.

We can't thank Gert Boyle and Columbia enough for their various contributions over the years to Special Olympics around the world, and for Gert's personal compassion for Special Olympics athletes.