Hong Kong pays homage to dedicated coaches behind the stars

What do Yu Liguang, Wang Ruiji and Rene Appel have in common? They are all national coaches who have been previous recipients of the Coach of the Year Awards.

Behind every great athlete, there's a great coach and it's the time of the year when Hong Kong's top coaches are recognised for their efforts. A record 96 nominations have been made for the prestigious annual Hong Kong Coaching Awards. Winners will be announced at the Grand Hyatt Hotel this afternoon.

Organised by the Hong Kong Coaching Committee (HKCC) and sponsored by the Hong Kong Bank Foundation, the awards not only honour the SAR's top coaches, but recognise their efforts in the development of sport in Hong Kong.

'It also recognises the coaches who may not be behind those top athletes but who are nonetheless making a significant contribution to our community,' said Margaret Siu, head of sports development at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.

Well-known sailing enthusiast Karl Kwok, chairman of the HKCC, was delighted with the response from the sports community. 'The number of entries proves that Hong Kong sport has had a good year and indicates the tremendous hard work done by coaches behind the scenes,' said Kwok.

'We are glad to see the awards scheme has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 1993 and is now established as one of the major events in the local sporting calendar.'

This year's coaching awards comprise five categories - Coach of the Year Awards, Community Coach Recognition Awards, Distinguished Services Award for Coaching, Coach Education Award and Coaching Excellence Awards.