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As this article goes to press, we are still celebrating the excellent performances of Hong Kong athletes at the 11^th National Games held earlier last month in distant Shandong. Very soon and close to home in early December, we will be able to watch our own top athletes competing on our home turf in the 2009 East Asian Games. The Games will be the largest multi-sports event for top athletes across the region ever hosted by Hong Kong.

Whilst we all enjoy the excitement and pride when our athletes win glittering medals and shatter old records, we must not forget the commitment and dedication that they have put in over many years to become the star performers that they are today.

Let us keep in mind also that there are many people who work behind the scene to provide our athletes with an environment conducive to enabling them to compete at the highest level. The family, the school and the National Sports Association (NSA) play key roles, particularly as the athlete's early potential is identified and nurtured. As the athlete develops, the specialist coaching and opportunities to compete regularly both help to hone their talent further.

Providing opportunities for our athletes to compete at the highest level is one of the Government's key policy objectives for sports development in Hong Kong. Every year, a significant amount of public funding is allocated to elite sports development through the NSAs and through the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), which is the base for elite athlete training and development.

The 2009/10 Policy Address and Policy Agenda point the way towards a sustained policy of support for our leading athletes. Funding for athlete training and support services has continued to increase with over $95 million (including recurrent and non-recurrent fundings) being allocated in 2009/10 for comprehensive elite training support to 870 athletes from 14 Elite Sports, eight non-Elite Vote-supported Sports, the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled, and the Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped.

Among these, new initiatives to enhance support for top athletes include additional funding for Up-and-Coming Sports to help them reach the elite level. And, at the upper end of the elite spectrum the Priority Sports initiative provides extra funding to badminton, cycling, table tennis, windsurfing to help them make the final push for medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Support for junior elite athlete training has also been enhanced to help ensure that we have a sustainable base of potential talent.

In recent years, the Government has also provided more funding for educational and social development programmes, and on the advice of the Sports Commission, has increased incentive awards for athletes who perform at the highest level at Major Games.

A major milestone in the developments of elite sport in Hong Kong will be the Government's funded redevelopment of the HKSI, which will provide expanded world-class training venues for athletes, including facilities for athletes with disabilities. New facilities, due for completion in 2012, will include a 52m international standard indoor swimming pool; a multi-purpose sports hall with squash, tenpin bowling and wushu training facilities; a rowing boathouse; eight tennis courts; and a nine-storey multi-purpose building with a 370-bed athletes hostel, a conference centre, restaurant, and sports residence for visiting athletes and teams. Upgraded sports science laboratories, sports medicine areas and fitness training facilities will also be included as part of the redevelopment project.

Together, these strategic investments will enable Hong Kong towards the development of a much deeper elite sporting culture. They will allow us to keep pace with our international counterparts, particularly in the area of support for athletes. We are already seeing improved results across a number of key areas, which provide a promising glimpse of our future potential winning capabilities.

At both senior and junior levels we have made significant breakthroughs, including a record seven medals at the 11^th National Games. Within this year Hong Kong senior athletes have achieved 13 world top three positions, and we have four current world champions in windsurfing and wushu. Swimmer Hannah Wilson put Hong Kong's name on the 2009 World University Games medal tally for the first time with two gold medals. Badminton star Zhou Mi achieved a world number one ranking for the second time within the space of a year.

This year alone, Hong Kong has a world junior champion in windsurfing, 21 Asian junior champions in five sports and a total of six junior athletes in world top three positions. Hong Kong athletes won 18 medals at the inaugural Asian Youth Games followed by the 47 medals from the 2009 Asian Youth Para Games.

We are moving in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go. The Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games and the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games will provide an unprecedented opportunity to rally public interest in, and raise expectations of Hong Kong's top athletes. There are many young athletes in Hong Kong with the potential to compete at the highest level. We want to do more to develop this potential, and we want to see Hong Kong athletes breaking more records and competing for the highest honours.

With support of the Government, and in partnership with the NSAs and the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, the HKSI looks forward to the challenges ahead. As Chairman of the HKSI I invite everyone in Hong Kong to share our enthusiasm for sporting success and support the efforts of Hong Kong's hardworking athletes.