'Pick legislators for sports board'
Legislators and newly elected district councillors should be appointed to the Sports Development Board, a legislator said yesterday.
Choy So-yuk, of the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, said this was necessary because two seats on the board reserved for the Provisional Urban and Regional Councils would become vacant when the councils were scrapped on December 31.
She said the requirement should be clearly stated in the Sports Development Board (Amendment) Bill.
The bill aims to give sport a more transparent, accountable and efficient structure.
It says the board will be solely responsible for elite sports while the responsibility for grassroots development will be given to the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee and the newly formed Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
In addition, the board's membership will be increased from 13 to 17 members.
'I hope the Government will keep its promise to give people confidence in the [new system] after scrapping the councils,' Ms Choy said.
Peter Cheung Po-tak, Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs, said the Government would appoint members with a 'sports background' from various walks of life. But he declined to put the precise selection criteria in the bill.
'It is better to use common sense to interpret 'sports background',' he said, as this would allow for more flexibility.
