News

2014 will be a year of excitement for the sporting world as some of the world’s premier events, including the Incheon Asian Games and the Sochi Winter Olympics, will take place.

To support coaches and elite athletes in preparing for the challenges ahead, the Hong Kong Coaching Committee (HKCC) and the All-China Sports Federation have jointly organised the 21^st Elite Coaches Seminar to take place on 7 December at the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI).  The aim of the Seminar is to provide an academic platform for the exchange of ideas between sports science experts, mainland China and local coaching professionals on the theme titled “Physiological Conditioning of Elite Athletes”.

The opening ceremony was officiated by Professor Frank Fu MH JP, Chairman of the HKCC; Mr Li Weibo, Vice General Director of the Science and Education Department of General Administration of Sport of China (GASC); Ms Zhang Xia, Deputy Director, Education Division of the Science and Education Department of GASC; Mr Sun Wenxin, General Manager of Training Department of GASC.

Professor Fu said at the opening ceremony, “I would like to thank the Science and Education Department of All-China Sports Federation through whom the Seminar receives a lot of support from many excellent coaches in China.  I hope that all participating coaches at the Seminar will seize the opportunity to exchange and impart new ideas to the sporting arena and, at the same time, nurture more competitive athletes to achieve outstanding performances at Major Games.”

Mr Li pointed out the significant contributions the Seminar had brought to the Asian sporting arena over the past 21 years.  He said, “the Seminar has provided an excellent platform for coaches from mainland China and Hong Kong to collaborate and exchange insights on training.  Participating coaches can grasp a deeper understanding of the latest training pattern and techniques for self enrichment through the sharing of experience and expertise of high quality coaches.”

The first speaker of the Seminar was the former Coach of the China Fencing Team Mr Zhou Rui, also a current Coach of the Nanjing Sport Institute Fencing Team.  In 2008, he led the Jiangsu Province Women’s Foil Team in the National Championship and won the team and individual events.  At the Seminar, he shared his expertise on the topic of “Athletes Physical Preparation for Major Competitions”.  He said the length of time required for physical preparation would vary from 19.5 days to 10 weeks, depending on the characteristics of the sport, level of training, physical condition and the ability of the athletes.  Coaches must grasp the relevant information in order to design a training strategy that is suitable for the athletes.

On the topic of “Periodisation Training Programme for Olympic Games”, Dr Anthony Giorgi, HKSI Head Athletics Coach, shared his personal experience in helping over 50 Australian athletes from various sports, including world record holders and Olympic medalists to prepare for three Olympic Games since 2004.  He stressed that coaches, athletes and their support teams must have a clear vision on their performance expectations, physical requirements, athlete’s current strength and weakness and physical targets before they could develop a well-planned physical training strategy.  At the end of the presentation, he encouraged the coaches to listen to the thoughts of athletes along the journey and respond with clarity.

Dr Chen Xiaoping, Associate Dean of Physical Education of Ningbo University, China spoke on the topic “Training Conditioning before a Major Competition”.  In order to enhance the effectiveness of training before major competitions, he suggests that the participating coaches do not incorporate new technology into training schemes.  Rather, the close monitoring of athletes’ nutrition levels and their recovery progress from deteriorating physical conditions are essential. A relaxed and uplifting training environment should also be provided to the athletes.

The fourth speaker of the Seminar was Mr Xu Zhengzheng, Chinese Medicine Coordinator of the HKSI.  As an expert in sports and manipulation therapy, he is often invited to assist Hong Kong teams at major sports events where he treats athletes in effective ways to eliminate fatigue and prevent injuries, as well as providing manipulation therapy to injured athletes.  At the Seminar, he spoke on the topic “The Use of Chinese Medicine and Manipulation Therapy in Sports” and pointed out that pressure, frequency and directions of hand gestures were the key elements in applying manipulation therapy.  If applied correctly, injured athletes should benefit hugely from the therapy, resulting in tendon relaxation, improved blood circulations and swelling elimination.

The annual Elite Coaches Seminar, being part of the Hong Kong Coach Education Programme (HKCEP), is jointly organised by the HKCC and the All-China Sports Federation with an aim to provide a platform for overseas and Mainland China experts as well as local coaching professionals to exchange ideas in sports coaching.  This year, the Seminar attracted about 300 coaches from Hong Kong and mainland China.