Hong Kong watchdog pans city’s Olympic Committee over spending, lack of meetings and athlete selection criteria
- Audit Commission calls on government to review Olympic Committee’s cost controls after operating deficit soars from HK$33,000 to HK$588,000 in four years
- Fourteen of its 29 subcommittees have not met for two years, while athlete selection criteria is described as flawed
Hong Kong’s public spending watchdog has revealed a raft of failures at the body spearheading the city’s drive for Olympic success, with nearly half of its subcommittees not meeting for two years amid oversights that risk sending costs spiralling.
Procurement rules were not properly followed at the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong and the government should review the organisation’s cost controls after its deficit soared, according to the Audit Commission’s value-for-money report published on Wednesday.
In a 141-page report accusing the committee of lax governance, the watchdog also said there was a lack of clear criteria for selecting athletes to take part in international games.
The Olympic Committee said it would carefully study the minor areas for improvement identified by the watchdog and take appropriate measures.
[The committee] has grown into an empire and transparency and accountability are not in their dictionary
The organisation, which received government funding of HK$38.9 million (US$5 million) in 2018-19, has 29 subcommittees with different functions under its board.