Typhoon Mangkhut: government pledges up to HK$10 million for each sports association with damaged facilities
Government agrees special funding to repair Hong Kong sports association-run facilities after initially saying the damage can be covered by insurance
The government has agreed to provide special funding to repair sports association-run facilities damaged by Typhoon Mangkhut, declaring a ceiling of HK$10 million for each national sports association.
While most of the designated training facilities in Hong Kong are run by government’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department, some sports have their own training centres, such as rowing, canoeing and sailing, with windsurfing running a clubhouse at Stanley Beach. Cycling also runs its own Gin Drinkers Bay BMX centre in Kwai Chung.
Some of these sports face massive storm-damage bills and the government had initially indicated it would not be giving financial help to carry out repairs.
However, Dennis Chau Wai-keung, executive director of the Windsurfing Association of Hong Kong, said his organisation received a call from the Home Affairs Bureau last week telling them a maximum of HK$10 million (US$1.28 million) would be made available for them to repair Mangkhut-related damage.
“This is definitely good news as the clubhouse in Stanley Beach is in very bad condition after the typhoon,” Chau said.