A tall order for new Hong Kong sports commissioner
Finding the right person to replace Sam Wong – who leaves the post after just a year – will hardly be plain sailing for the city government
It was never expected to be plain sailing when former windsurfer Sam Wong Tak-sum joined the government as commissioner for sports last year, the first with a rare mix of an athletic and management background. But his resignation from the top job after just a year speaks volumes about the challenges in getting the right people in place to power up a sector increasingly important for Hong Kong’s new stage of development.
Wong’s resignation on “personal grounds” has fuelled speculation about whether an outsider can fit into a bureaucratic set-up. Wong, the husband of former Olympic gold medallist Lee Lai-shan, has experience in sports administration.
In addition to coaching at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, the two-time Asian Games silver medallist served as programme manager in the Athletes’ Career and Education Programme of the Olympic Committee and worked with the Academy of Ice Hockey and the Table Tennis Association. Officials have sought to play down the impact of his departure. Whatever the reasons, it is a pity that he chose not to stay on.
When Wong took up the post last September, the Post said he would have a tough job. Apart from a wide-ranging portfolio covering elite and community sports development as well as promoting the city as a centre for major international sporting events, the commissioner has to work with a bloated structure of organisations with competing interests.
It is hard to find a perfect match as the position should ideally be handed to someone who not only has a sports background, but also skills and experience in dealing with bureaucracy and vested interests.