Host events based on their worth
Ordinarily, the opportunity to host the world's most important swimming competition after the Olympic Games would have Hong Kong's government champing at the bit to put in a bid. Prestigious, high-profile events have been on its radar since the city's successful staging of the Olympic equestrian events three years ago. But the debacle over efforts to host the Asian Games, and legislators' criticism of the handling of the East Asian Games in 2009, have left authorities cool about such a venture. Without backing, sports enthusiasts' efforts to put Hong Kong in the running to stage the Fina World Aquatic Championships in either 2015 or 2017 will sink without a trace.
It is a pity that politics might prevent Hong Kong tabling a competitive bid. Decisions to stage or fund facilities or events are made by the government with the backing of lawmakers, but the principal goal has to be the promotion of sports and fitness in Hong Kong. Heightening our already considerable international profile and burnishing a reputation as being a sporting centre are to varying degrees less important. What we host and when has to be a matter of getting the right balance.
Authorities have so far shown no interest in the swimming championship. The sport's governing body, Fina, will decide the host city for 2015 this week and, if any of the other bids are promising, the choice for 2017. Efforts by the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association to bring the event and its 2,500 athletes here have so far proven fruitless; the all-important supporting letter and HK$200 million financial guarantee have not been forthcoming, even though by then the city will have the facilities to capably stage the contest - the Sports Institute's new pool opens next year and the HK$1.2 billion swimming complex at Victoria Park will be ready by 2014.
What would seem to be holding the government back is the estimate that staging the championships will cost HK$200 million. The Home Affairs Bureau has earned a poor reputation for its budgeting for the Asian and East Asian games. Its initial HK$14.5 billion figure for the Asian Games was inexplicably lowered to HK$6 billion when the proposal was not warmly received, suggesting poor planning. Last week, legislators railed at the final HK$423.9 million cost of the East Asian Games, HK$183.9 million more than the original estimate.
Getting the numbers as accurate as possible is obviously essential when dealing with the public purse. As necessary, though, is choosing to host events based on their worth to our city. That is not a matter of determining what lawmakers can stomach or how much prestige is attached. Rather, it is about weighing up the various elements, giving them careful consideration and doing what is best for Hong Kong.
