Boost as athletes get Games grants
Young, talented athletes will receive financial and technical assistance to prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics and the Summer Games two years later.
The Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) participated in the Olympic Scholarships for Athletes in Athens last year. Seven nominations were approved - Chiang Wei-hun (athletics), Ng Wei (badminton), Ho Siu-lun (cycling), Chan Wing-suet (swimming), Cheung Yuk (table-tennis), Law Hiu-fung (rowing) and Ho Chi-ho (windsurfing) - with each receiving US$1,000 to US$1,200 every month. Six of them, except Ho Siu-lun, qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics.
National Sport Associations (NSAs) are now invited to submit applications for Olympic scholarships for Beijing 2008. They can also nominate outstanding athletes to receive Team Support Grants for 2005-2008 and Training Grants for Young Athletes for 2012.
The Training Grants for Young Athletes are for athletes aged 14 to 18 who have achieved outstanding results
in international or local competitions over the past two years and have the potential to qualify for the showpiece event.
With a US$5 million budget, the initiatives aim to identify and offer training facilities to talented young athletes from around the world. Their preparations will be geared towards the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and the 2012 London Olympics.
The local NSAs eligible to submit applications are archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, gymnastics, handball, hockey, ice-hockey, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, softball, swimming, table-tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball and weightlifting.
The successful applicants would receive financial and technical assistance to organise short-term training camps here or abroad to prepare their athletes for regional or international competitions. Resources would also be provided to meet an individual's training requirements.
The NSAs are requested to submit their applications to the SF&OC by October 24. All applications will be assessed by a selection committee, and the selected ones will be sent to the International Olympic Committee. The results will be announced in December.