Retired athletes to receive 'contribution' reward
Sports stars who are coming to the end of their careers will be given a financial cushion to kick-start a new career
A new scheme will kick off soon to reward retired athletes with a lump sum to help them in their future careers, the government said yesterday.
At yesterday's Hang Seng Athlete Incentive Awards presentation, deputy secretary for Home Affairs Jonathan McKinley said all full-time athletes would benefit from the scheme, which offered a one-off cash award as a reward for the athlete's achievements and dedication.
"The scheme is designed in conjunction with the Sports Institute, head coaches and athletes and details will be announced soon," the official said.
"All we can say is it will be a recognition scheme for the full-time athletes' performance over the years and part of it is also to encourage the younger athletes to go into full-time [training].
"This is to be done on top of other current support they receive and we will work out a complete scheme that will encourage people to commit to full-time training."
It will be a recognition scheme for the full-time athletes' performance over the years and part of it is also to encourage the younger athletes to go into full-time [training]
The scheme will reward full-time athletes whose sporting careers are coming to an end and act as a buffer before they embark on another career. "With the help of the scheme, an athlete doesn't have to jump into the first job that comes along only because he needs the money.
"It can give him an opportunity to have more freedom and flexibility to decide where he wants to go next with his career," add McKinley.
The official did not reveal the amount the scheme is worth, but it is believed to be equivalent to a year's maximum grant to an elite athlete.
That means if an athlete receives a HK$30,000 elite training monthly grant, then he will probably receive HK$400,000 when he retires, depending on which year he did his full-time training.
The scheme will not only benefit athletes from the elite programmes at the Sports Institute, but also other non-elite sports. Athletes, however, must prove they have undergone full-time training and fulfil a minimum of 25 hours a week of training.
Windsurfer Cheng Kwok-fai welcomed the new scheme.
"We sacrificed a lot during training and our future after sport is always a concern to us," said the 31-year-old Asian Games Incheon gold medallist in the men's mistral.
