Leverage the star power of Hong Kong athletes to help develop the sports sector: Industry leader

The chairman of a Hong Kong sports industry body has encouraged companies to capitalise on athletes’ star status to help develop the sector, but worries that current subsidies are still too low to retain promising talent.

Tony Choi Yuk-kwan, chief executive of the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), said government subsidies for athletes should not be seen as their salaries, saying commercial sponsorship schemes would help develop the industry.

“Sports is like performing arts. If you look at sports stars like Cheung Ka-long and Siobhan Haughey, the more people recognise them, the happier they are,” he told a radio show on Saturday.

“People will cheer and applaud them, which is a driving force for their endeavor… Having sports celebrities can boost the development of the entire industry and we are now seeing a proliferation of fencing schools.”

Choi also dismissed concerns that athletes would spend too much time on celebrity sponsorships instead of training, saying they would be guided by their coaches in managing their time.

Talks about funding local athletes have been renewed after local fencers Cheung Ka-long and Vivian Kong Man-wai won gold medals and swimmer Siobhan Haughey won two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics.

The awards for the medal winners have been pouring in from the private sector, including from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, a charity set up by the founder of Sino Group, and restaurateur LH Group.

Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, vice chairman of HKSI, agreed with Choi and suggested that the government could grant tax exemptions to private institutions that sponsor famous athletes or former athletes.

He also argued that relying solely on government subsidies would not be enough for athlete development.

“We are very concerned about athletes who earn their living. It can be difficult for them to rely solely on government subsidies for beginners, so HKSI has helped them get commercials that are considered appropriate,” he said.

“We hope that we can encourage more commercial institutions to provide support in the form of financing or investments for athletes in addition to government subsidies.”

Badminton player Lee Cheuk-yiu is one of those who lamented that many athletes have given up due to the low level of financial support. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Concerns have been raised about the extent to which current subsidies can support aspiring athletes, with some arguing that the amounts are too low and are forcing promising candidates to abandon their dreams.

Badminton player Lee Cheuk-yiu was among those who lamented that many athletes gave up due to the lack of financial support.

The 27-year-old once said he received just HK$7,000 (US$898) a month from government subsidies for beginners after leaving school to become a full-time athlete.

“I was 16 years old and HK$7,000 was my pocket money. But for athletes who don’t have a higher rank, it’s their monthly salary.”

He advocated that the amount should at least be equal to the city’s minimum wage.

Thanks to the Hong Kong Sports Institute’s elite training subsidy, athletes who qualify for the Olympic Games receive a monthly salary of HK$11,520.

The amount increases with ranking and medals at the Games and other competitions. For example, medal winners at the World Championships and the Olympic Games receive a standard grant of up to HK$44,500.

Tony Choi, chief executive of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, has advised the public against viewing athlete subsidies as salaries. Photo: Edmond So

Choi said the institute would review the subsidy for training in September. A report will be published early next year and new regulations will be implemented in April as the organization seeks to increase subsidies and adjust the threshold for admission.

However, he defended the government’s subsidy mechanism. According to him, it was divided into six levels and the HK$7,000 subsidy was only for aspiring junior athletes to receive their training. Other subsidies were for food, accommodation, medical expenses and school fees.

The subsidies should not be considered as salaries, he said.

“If they are full-time athletes, we provide them with a pathway to get training,” Choi added.

“It is a fact that the subsidy will not give them a comfortable life, but we have other support measures such as free meals and accommodation and extensive support such as tuition fees for studying at universities.”