HK bodybuilders cut down to size despite punching above weight

Marco Lam Man-shing received a hero's welcome and a cheque for HK$50,000 from the Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme after being presented with a belated bronze medal thanks to a South Korean dope cheat at the 2006 Asian Games last December. The bronze doubled Hong Kong's medal count in bodybuilding with Chan Yun-to winning gold in the 75-80kg division, one of the SAR team's record six-gold haul in Doha.

The sport had made a significant contribution, putting many of Hong Kong's elite sports to shame.

However, the euphoria was soon shattered. Four months later, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) axed bodybuilding from the roster for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou and then came another blow - the Hong Kong Sports Institute will cut its funding for the two athletes starting next month.

Simon Chan Siu-man, chairman of the Hong Kong Bodybuilders Association, was shocked to learn his athletes' personal funding would drop from HK$220,000 to HK$130,000 per year - a result of the sport's exclusion from the Asian Games.

Chan believes there is still a chance for bodybuilding to win a reprieve for the 2010 Games and that could mean the funding is restored.

'It's the same as the last games in Doha. During the time from 2002-03 we were not officially in on paper. At the end of 2004 they announced the other sports that were in,' Chan said.