Hong Kong eager for more sporting success(3)

Venues closed

During the pandemic, the Hong Kong government closed most sports venues in the city to prevent the virus spreading, with many professional swimming teams losing the chance to train, Wong said.

Wu, Uhi's coach, said most swimming pools in the city were closed and he had to take trainees to beaches. However, the beaches were then locked down, so the trainees had to practice their swimming strokes on land.

"There's something we call the 'sense of water', and practicing on land is certainly way different from jumping into the water, but given the situation at the time, this was the only way", Wu said.

"Most local swimming teams comprise disciplined athletes, which means they can be easily traced and can take nucleic acid tests together", Wu said. He added that although he understood the Hong Kong government's fears about the pandemic, the arrangements should have been more flexible and fairer.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics raised swimming's profile, with Haughey winning silver medals in the women's 100 meters and 200 meters freestyle events, becoming the first Hong Kong athlete to win two medals at an Olympics.

Wong is confident that Haughey will enjoy success at the next summer Olympics in Paris in 2024.

The Hong Kong China Swimming Association is one of the national sports associations, or NSAs－local governing bodies responsible for the promotion and development of their respective sports in the city.

As president of the association, which is involved in athlete selection and discussing strategies for Olympic swimming events, Wong paid close attention to Haughey's training.

He said she could have shone at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, but after discussions with the HKSI's head swimming coach and with Haughey, the swimmer decided not to compete, focusing instead on Tokyo 2020.

However, Hong Kong's hopes of winning more medals do not rest solely with Haughey.

Wong said: "We took three relay teams to the Olympics in Tokyo. These are swimmers who got through the trials and qualified for the Games. This number of teams is unprecedented (for a city) and all of them have the potential to win medals at the next Olympics."

He added that he believes the overall level of the Hong Kong swimming team has greatly improved.

Wong also said Hong Kong now has 44 public swimming pools and 42 public beaches, making swimming a relatively accessible sport for residents.

Fund established

The Hong Kong government has invested in and professionalized sports, Wong added. For example, in 2012, it established the Elite Athletes Development Fund to provide financial support to the HKSI, which was set up to train and support elite athletes.

According to the HKSI's latest annual report, it received total funding of HK$664.5 million for the 2019-20 fiscal year. Some HK$112.1 million of this was direct financial assistance for elite athletes, with the remainder allocated to train these competitors and for operational expenditure.

Meanwhile, the government and the HKSI also provide former athletes with career guidance.

Wong believes that all these measures will ease public concern that athletes cannot support themselves financially.

On Oct 6, Lam, the Hong Kong chief executive, announced in the last Policy Address of her current term the plan of a Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to consolidate the city's strengths in these fields.

Wong said this is the most logical move made in the best interest of these sectors.

He added that the Olympics are good examples of how "chemistry" works in combining culture and sports.

Large crowds could be drawn to Hong Kong if the city held regular international sports and cultural events, which would benefit the local tourism industry, he added.