Opinion | Left Field: Pressure on Hong Kong team to bring home Asian Games gold
Government expects investment in athletes to reap rewards such as winning more medals at Incheon in September
The magic number is eight. This is the crop of gold medals Hong Kong won at the Asian Games in Guangzhou four years ago. A lesser return from the Incheon Games starting in mid-September will be a failure.
We will be sending our largest contingent of more than 600 athletes and officials to South Korea, surpassing the 547-strong delegation in Guangzhou.
Bigger is hopefully better. More athletes mean more quality coming through the system, which is a good sign. That must be translated into winning medals.
Sport comes way down the ladder of importance in Hong Kong, too, but at least it is not totally ignored
Four years ago the total medal count was 40 - eight gold medals, 15 silver and 17 bronze. The Hong Kong Sports Institute is expected to provide the bedrock for success.
Hong Kong will be represented in 28 sports in Incheon and 15 are in the elite category at the Fo Tan academy. Those sports will carry the main weight of expectations.
Thirty-six of the 40 medals won in 2010 came from the Tier A elite sports at the Sports Institute - the other four were won in equestrianism, rugby sevens (now part of the elite programme), BMX and mountain biking. This proves money can produce results. And plenty of dosh is thrown at the Sports Institute.
This year, for instance, the HKSI received a massive HK$376 million government subvention, an increase of HK$51 million year on year. In addition, funds from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, as well as revenue from hiring out facilities, have boosted the academy's annual budget to HK$441 million.