News

Further to the news of Hang Seng Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme (HSAIAS) last month, the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) continues to announce good news to boost morale of Hong Kong athletes who are preparing for the upcoming international sporting competitions.

Athletes who win medal at the 1^st Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010 will receive scholarship of HK$30,000 for gold, HK$20,000 for silver and HK$10,000 for bronze in the individual event as well as HK$42,000, HK$28,000 and HK$14,000 respectively in the team event under the Hong Kong Athletes Fund.

In addition to the HSAIAS, medal winners at the 16^th Asian Games are also entitled to the HKSI Scholarship Athletes Special Incentive Fund (SIF) which was originally planned to cover competitions from 2006 to 2009 and is now extended to end of 2010 to provide more support to local athletes.

Meanwhile, an approximate HK$54 million of direct financial support has been offered for supporting around 700 local athletes for their training and competition in 2010/11, including two team sports – Football and Rugby for the first time.

The two team sports have been allocated HK$1.5 million each for their training programme expenses under the Individual Athletes Support Scheme while individual athletes for the whole team may each receive a maximum grant of HK$6,500 per month. Beneficiaries included Chan Siu-ki and Yapp Hung-fai who assisted the Hong Kong football team to win a historic gold medal at the Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games (EAG).

Most of the EAG medallists such as Yip Pui-yin (Badminton), Wong Kam-po (Cycling), Chiu Wing-yin (Squash) and Chan Wai-kei (Windsurfing) have also been granted the direct financial assistance in this fiscal year. A full-time top athlete may receive a maximum grant of HK$25,000 per month. Athletes of Non-Elite Vote-supported Sports who meet the funding criteria can also apply for programme funding under the Individual Athletes Support Scheme through their respective National Sports Associations to support their additional elite training needs and the maximum grant is HK$135,000 per year. In addition, around HK$3 million has been granted to sports for athletes with disabilities in 2010/11 to support 61 athletes.

“Hong Kong’s athletes have achieved remarkable results in the international sporting arena in recent years and the funding support has played a pivotal role behind their success. We are delighted that these funding schemes have provided financial assistance to elite and potential athletes for their training and competitions needs,” said Dr Eric Li, Chairman of the HKSI.

Windsurfer Chan Wai-kei who took a gold medal by winning all the races at the EAG, said, “The scheme provides me with financial support which means I can concentrate more on training and competition without worrying about the financial aspects.”

Over the years, the HKSI has been providing all round support to Hong Kong elite athletes to strive for sporting excellence. Apart from the regular financial support, the HKSI also applies funding from the Arts and Sport Development Fund with an aim to provide extra support to our elite athletes in preparation for Major Games as so to enhance medal prospects as well as Hong Kong’s reputation in the international sports field.