Fencer Vivian Kong (right) is among the Hong Kong athletes who have won a medal at the World Championships, taking bronze in Budapest, Hungary in 2019. Photo: AFP
Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3116095/funding-relief-hong-kong-athletes-sports-institute-continues Hong Kong
Funding relief for Hong Kong athletes as Sports Institute continues support despite lack of activity in 2020
- Financial support is based on performances at international events but the Institute wants athletes to focus on the Tokyo Olympics without worrying about funding
- A maximum monthly grant of HK$48,000 is given to top athletes who win a medal at the World Championships, Olympic Games or World Cup finals of an Olympic sport
Hong Kong cycling star Sarah Lee is an Elite A athlete having won two gold medals at the World Championships in 2019. Photo: Winson Wong
Hong Kong’s top athletes have been assured of continued financial support in 2021 despite the lack of competitions last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Funding for athletes depends on their performances in international competitions but most events on the 2020 calendar were postponed or cancelled because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus around the world.
In addition, the Tokyo Olympic Games – a key yardstick for funding support – was postponed to the summer of this year. The Hong Kong Sports Institute said support under its elite training grant for tier A athletes and sports aid grant for non-tier A programmes would not be affected.
“We fully understand the consequences brought on by the cancellation of international events, which may affect athletes’ level of financial support,” said Tony Choi Yuk-kwan, deputy chief executive at the Fo Tan training complex.
“Usually if there is no competition, like in 2020 because of the pandemic, the athletes may face a reduction in support. But this is a crucial year for many of them because they are preparing for the Olympic Games.
“Therefore, we have decided to maintain the current supporting categories in 2021 so that the financial backing to our athletes will not be affected.”
There are more than 700 athletes, in senior and junior categories, under the Institute’s 20 tier A sports who are eligible for elite training grants based on their international results.
The Tokyo Olympic Games have been postponed to 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: AFP
However, Choi said there was potential for some athletes to gain even more support. If an athlete was able to improve their performance in the few events that did take place in 2020, the Institute would use the results for a fresh evaluation – possibly resulting in more funding.
“All we want to do is to assure the athletes that they can stay focused on their training without worrying about what happened in 2020 because of the pandemic,” he said.
“In 2021, we will see the Olympic Games take place in Tokyo in the summer while some of the Asian Games sports would start their preparation for the 2022 Hangzhou Games. We don’t want to see any interruption brought on by the pandemic in terms of financial support to athletes.”
Hurdler Lui Lai-yiu celebrates after winning bronze at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Photo: Xinhua
Under the current scheme, an athlete can receive a maximum of HK$48,240 in monthly grants provided he or she can secure an Elite A plus status, which requires winning a medal at the Olympic Games, World Championships or World Cup finals in an Olympic sport. An Asian Games medallist will earn Elite A status with a maximum HK$38,540 a month.
Track cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze won two gold medals at the 2019 World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2020 Worlds in Berlin in late February. Fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships.