Nominal HK$7,500 subsidy for coaches is ‘better than nothing’, says swimming’s Sherry Tsai
- Three-time Olympian Tsai hopes the government can learn from its mistakes and avoid similar woes for coaches in the future
- Almost 17,000 registered coaches expected to benefit from government’s second round of relief funding for businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic
Swimming coach Sherry Tsai Hiu-wai wants the government to learn from its mistakes and avoid leaving sports coaches out in the cold when providing relief funding for businesses hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
After lobbying by concern group Hong Kong Sports Alliance (HKSA), the government on Wednesday announced a subsidy of HK$7,500 to each registered sports coach as part of its second wave of anti-contagion relief measures.
Tsai, a three-time Olympian and now a trainer at Tai Po Swimming Club, said the amount was barely enough for any coach struggling to make ends meet for what is expected to be many months of hardship.
“I would say the amount is better than nothing,” said Tsai, who won a relay medal for Hong Kong at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. “After the closure of public and school facilities, many swimming coaches, especially those working at teaching level, have no income at all.
“No one can survive with only that amount of money. But we also understand there is limited resources and you cannot ask the government to pay every coach who has been affected by the pandemic.