Editorial | Olympics success a golden opportunity to promote sports
- Athletes’ six medals have brought pride and unity to the city, but now is the time to reflect on the way forward and how best to give everyone a sporting chance
The six medals won by seven athletes may be the most ever achieved by the Hong Kong team over the years, but whether they justify the tens of billions of dollars spent on the sporting front could well continue to be the subject of debate in a city where success is defined by both costs and results. In any case, the better-than-expected performance, against a decade-long investment in elite sports development, is welcome and long overdue.
Observers are quick to stress several issues that warrant reform. Currently, the lion’s share of funding goes to the 20 top-tier sports – including fencing, karate, windsurfing, table tennis and cycling – overseen by the Hong Kong Sports Institute. Depending on performances at national and international competitions, substantial differences may arise in allowances and resources allocated to athletes, thereby putting young talent in other events at a disadvantage. Coaching and training systems may limit progress and development, and this is not helped in a society that puts academic and career advancement ahead of sports achievement. Athletes who return empty-handed may also have worked just as hard as those who triumphed, but sadly they do not get the recognition and rewards they deserve. The suggestion that some core training programmes do not expect to make a breakthrough in the coming years underlines the challenges ahead.
The government has clear policy objectives – develop elite sports, promote public participation in sports and promote Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events. In terms of the medal haul, the investment in elite sports has paid off, albeit with sustainability remaining an issue. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has pledged to attach greater importance to sport, but there also needs to be a more strategic approach. The medals momentum provides a golden opportunity to better promote a sporting lifestyle to the public and to hold top events. Sponsorships from business groups also help and should be encouraged. From funding and training policies to a more sport-friendly social environment, a lot more can and should be done.