Hong Kong eager for more sporting success(2)

Training system

Uhi is one of many competitors close to making it to the top who are placed at the head of Hong Kong's athlete training system.

Ronnie Wong Man-chiu, president of the Hong Kong China Swimming Association, likens the city's sports system to a pyramid, with the base occupied by numerous sports enthusiasts, and the center by those who have the potential and aspiration to take up sports professionally. First-class athletes are at the top of the pyramid.

Wong said Hong Kong has strong center and bottom layers of the pyramid to support the top tier through recruiting and training talent for sports such as swimming.

But he added that the city's sports development needs an integrated pyramid, with those at the top winning medals in international competitions, and those in the center and at the bottom laying a solid foundation for such success.

"The national sporting associations cover the middle and bottom layers of this pyramid, while the HKSI is in charge of the top," Wong said.

The future looks bright, at least for swimming, but gaps may appear in the pyramid at some point if there is not enough support, Wong said.

At Tokyo 2020, the Hong Kong delegation won six medals－the city's best performance.

Following this success, in August, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced five new measures to further boost sports in the city.

The measures include a HK$990 million ($128.60 million) fund for the HKSI to build a new training facility, which is expected to open in 2024, and an allocation of HK$150 million, together with another HK$150 million from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, to set up a HK$300 million fund for research and medical support for sports and to buy new equipment for elite athletes.

Wong said he hoped the government could also pay more attention to the center and bottom layers of the pyramid, adding, "The allocation of resources is clearly skewed toward the HKSI."

He said the HKSI may deserve more investment, as it is responsible for training and looking after Hong Kong's elite athletes, but other sports organizations also need more financial and facility support to promote local sports development.

"The key to Hong Kong athletes improving their skills and winning more medals in top competitions is to offer them the chance to take part in more international or regional events. This principle applies in particular to elite athletes such as Haughey and also to young trainees at the center of the pyramid," Wong said.

The swimming association or other organizations could take trainees to compete on the Chinese mainland or overseas, but only if the government can provide sufficient financial support, Wong added.