Why a cultural shift is needed to market Hong Kong sports and athletes
Former and current sports names say government is not doing enough to encourage the business sector into investing
The government should actively encourage the business sector to support the commercialisation of sports, which would help athletes build a successful second career after retirement, a former athlete has said.
A number of active athletes told the Post that the first step in this process was to recognise the value of sports, and this must first come from the administration.
Sam Wong Tak-sum, a former member of the national windsurfing squad, said Hong Kong had been slow to move into the commercialisation of sports, compared to other cities.
“[Hong Kong] athletes spend most of their time on improving their performances in order to achieve the right results, which means they focus mainly on sports. But when it comes to holistic and personal development, something is lacking,” he said.
“Maybe they don’t have sufficient time to focus on things outside of sports training, or maybe these elements don’t exist within their training programmes.”
Swimmer Yvette Kong Man-yi agreed that commercialisation of sports would help propel aspects that can benefit athletes, such as financial development and moral support.
“The first step is to recognise the value of sports. It involves a collective effort from all parties – athletes, government, media and the public – to make a substantial cultural shift,” she said.