Hong Kong Sports Development Board

The Hong Kong Sports Development Board is the statutory body
responsible for the promotion and development of sport and physical
recreation in Hong Kong. In 1996-97, the government allocated $78.4
million to the board. Of this, over $47.9 million was used to support the
Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong and
the National Sports Associations (NSAs) in meeting personnel, office,
sports programme expenses and financing the staging of major
international events.

Identifying target sports and providing them with additional resources for
development is one of the fundamental pillars of Hong Kong's sports
policy. In 1996-97, $23.9 million was allocated to support the eight target
sports: badminton, rowing, squash, swimming, table tennis, tennis,
windsurfing and wushu, as well as football, basketball and rugby in the
Focus Team Sport category.

Since April 1997, 12 activities have been selected as Focus Sports,
replacing the Target and Focus Team Sports. They are badminton,
cycling, fencing, gymnastics, rowing, squash, swimming, table tennis,
track and field, triathlon, windsurfing and wushu. Performances in these
12 sports will be reviewed every two years, with the current cycle
beginning in April 1997 and ending in March 1999. Apart from the 12
Focus Sports, a further 38 sports are grouped as Development Sports.

Progress continues to be made in the coach education field under the
supervision of the Hong Kong Coaching Committee. Among its major
programmes is the Hong Kong Coach Education Programme. By the end
of March 1997, more than 5 500 coaches from 41 NSAs in 49 different
disciplines had participated in one of its major components, the Hong
Kong Coach Accreditation Programme.

The board has injected considerable effort and resources into junior
sports development. Under the Go!Sport Programme, over 48 per cent of
all primary and secondary schools have become involved in the
programme, and more than 50 celebrities have accepted a role as
programme ambassadors.

With the aim of providing regular training opportunities and frequent
competition to those interested in sport, the Community Sports Clubs
Programme had by this year established 61 clubs in 14 sports and had
attracted some 3 000 people to enrol in the clubs.

The Sports Aid Foundation Fund and the Sports Aid for the Disabled
Fund, administered by the board, distributed $3.7 million to 34 elite, 32
potential and 37 disabled athletes in 1996-97 to help with their training and
competing expenses. The cash incentives introduced in 1994 for the Asian
Games were extended to cover the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian and
World Universiade in 1996. In 1997, the incentives were extended to
athletes who achieved gold, silver and bronze medals in the East Asian
Games in May and the All China Games in October. The board took over
the management of the new Hong Kong Athletes Fund in March 1997 and
distributed grants to eligible athletes starting from the 1997-98 academic
year.

The board has again been active in securing funds from the commercial
sector in support of development programmes organised by the NSAs.
Since the inception of the Sports Sponsorship Advisory Service in 1991, it
has generated more than $74 million in sponsorship support.

The Hong Kong Sports Institute, which amalgamated with the Sports
Development Board in April 1994, has provided support to the 12 Focus
Sports in the form of full-time coaches, training facilities and
programmes, strength and conditioning, sports science and medicine,
other technical services and junior squad development. Over 240 athletes
were granted Hong Kong Sports Institute scholarships in 1996-97.

 

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