Hong Kong Olympic Committee vice-president appeals to government to help ‘kick-start’ sport again
- Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, the vice-president of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, is hopeful people will return to sport and fitness
- Fok says the recovery will be similar to that of Sars, a long process that requires financial relief along with initiatives to incentivise the industry
Hong Kong’s delayed return to sport and exercise after the fourth wave of the coronavirus is cause for concern, however, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, the Hong Kong Olympic Committee’s vice-president, is confident the ship will soon right itself.
“That was one of the biggest worries when the pandemic first hit Hong Kong,” said Fok, who spoke at the launch of a new public and private initiative aimed at promoting increased physical activity. “The coaches worried that the participation rate would go down, but I take a positive angle on this: now with the pandemic slowly curtailing and the venues and facilities slowly opening up, I believe that it will come back into action so to speak.”
Hong Kong’s sport and recreation industry washit hard by the government’s restrictions with the entire sector declared “non-essential”. Most venues, from arenas and fields to gyms and pools, were closed for more than 150 days since the pandemic first hit the city in February 2020. Multiple rounds of financial relief were offered by the government, including stipends for coaches, however, the overall sentiment from the industry was that it was grateful for the funding but it was insufficient given the severity of the closures and restrictions.
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The lasting effects of SARS in Hong Kong
Fok said he remembered in 2003 when the Sars epidemic hit Hong Kong. The economic and social recovery for Hongkongers dragged on for years, and required bureaucratic support financially, and in creating incentives to get people back to their normal lives.