Supporting Athletes

Inaugurated in 2015, the Partnership School Programme (PSP) with the English Schools Foundation and Lam Tai Fai College provides a tailor-made curriculum to meet young athletes’ training and education needs, enabling them to train full-time while studying at senior secondary level.  In the 2022/23 academic year, a class of 13 athletes graduated from the PSP, and among them, seven were enrolled in tertiary institutions. In addition to this, 24 athletes successfully joined the PSP for the 2023/24 academic year. As at 31 March 2024, a total of 55 athletes were studying under the programme.

 

The HKSI has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with eight University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities and four self-financing tertiary institutions, facilitating the HKSI to nominate full-time Scholarship Athletes to apply for full-time undergraduate degrees, postgraduate programmes and/or sub-degree programmes (where applicable) at the respective tertiary institutions. In the 2023/24 academic year, a total of 83 athletes were admitted to higher diploma, undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in the 2023/24 academic year under these MOUs.

 

Building on these collaborations, the UGC launched the Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission (SALSA) Scheme in 2022 to facilitate the admission of elite athletes to UGC-funded universities in the 2022/23 to 2024/25 triennium and provide focused, multi-pronged and personalised learning support to the athletes. Throughout 2023/24, 11 introduction sessions and campus visits were organised in collaboration with UGC-funded universities and self-financing tertiary institutions. As a result, a total of 59 athletes were admitted to tertiary study in the 2023/24 academic year through the SALSA Scheme.

 

The HKSI also provides general education and career planning services to athletes, such as tutorial support, continuing education subsidies, and scholarships, to support a total of 569 athletes as of 31 March 2024.

 

The Government’s injection of HK$250 million into the Hong Kong Athletes Fund (HKAF) has strengthened support for athletes’ dual career development. This has enabled the education grant under the HKAF to be greatly enhanced, including relaxing the eligibility threshold, expanding the scope of eligible study programmes, increasing the number of funded programmes and raising the grant ceiling. A new sports certificate grant has also been introduced to support interested athletes in pursuing sports-related certificates. Athletes may apply for grants to cover the tuition fees as well as subsistence allowances. In 2023/24, HK$9.13 million of funding was approved to cover the tuition fees of 54 athletes up to the 2028/29 academic year, to support their pursuit of post-secondary studies and sports-certificate courses through the Education Grant and Sports Certificate Grant.

The HKSI has in place other tailor-made programmes that enable athletes to dedicate themselves to an elite training lifestyle in parallel with their social and personal development.

 

In 2023/24, 35 online or face-to-face workshops were organised for 434 Scholarship Athletes, offering them learning opportunities in diverse areas such as image building, public speaking, culinary skills, art and craft, and social compassion.

 

During the year, a total of 477 elite athletes were accommodated at the Athlete Hostel, which provides a comfortable and professional environment for elite training and living.