John Hung makes no bones about the Sport Development Board's position. 'We are beggars,' he says. 'Whatever you give us, we'll take.' As Hong Kong people celebrate the triumph and glory of the territory's first Olympic gold medallist, Lee Lai-shan, such a frank admission by the SDB chairman is depressing.
Is the situation really that bad? Has the support of the Government and this community been so poor that aspiring athletes are fighting an uphill battle to raise their professional standards? The Government's support in the area of sports development has indeed been declining judging by the board's budget in recent years.
While the amount of money granted has gone up from $50 million in 1991-92 to $78 million in the current financial year, it has failed to match the SDB's expenditure.
SDB statistics show that the Government's subsidy expressed as a percentage of its total funding requirement has dropped from 61 per cent in 1991-92 to 48 per cent in 1995-96.
Notwithstanding the Government's grant of $78 million this year, the amount is still $58 million less than what the SDB has requested.
Inevitably, the SDB will have to look to private sponsorships to make up for the shortfall.