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The annual Hongkong Bank Foundation Coaching Awards has received overwhelming response from the sports community with 92 nominations from 30 sports entering the selection for 2004.

Organised by the Hong Kong Coaching Committee (HKCC) and sponsored by the Hongkong Bank Foundation, the event honours outstanding and committed coaches on a territory-wide basis for their contribution to the development of sport in Hong Kong.

Professor Frank Fu, Chairman of the HKCC, was delighted with the positive response from the sports community. "Hong Kong athletes have been making great progress on the international stage in recent years and their coaches have certainly played an important part behind the scenes. We are also very glad to see that the Awards scheme, with the support of the Hongkong Bank Foundation, has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 1993 and is now established as one of the major events in the local sports calendar."

An Awards Sub-committee, appointed by the HKCC, has short-listed 79 nominations in accordance with the selection criteria of respective categories. The 2004 Awards comprise six categories - Coach of the Year Awards, Coaching Excellence Awards, Best Team Sport Award, Distinguished Services Award for Coaching, Coach Education Award and Community Coach Recognition Awards.

Twelve coaches nominated by nine National Sports Associations are vying for the top honour - Coach of the Year Awards in three categories - individual sport in both senior and junior categories and team event in senior category. They include past recipients Rene Appel, Chiang Yun-kuen, Tony Choi, Poon Kin-lui, Shen Jin-kang, Wong Tak-sam, Yu Li-guang, Zheng Kang-zhao, and other leading coaches such as Chan Kong-wah, He Yi-ming, Hui Jun, and Li Hui-fen.

Coaching Excellence Awards will be presented to coaches who have led an athlete or a team to achieve outstanding sports performance at major international competitions such as the Olympics, Asian Games and World Championships. A total of 38 coaches have been nominated for the Awards.

Best Team Sport Award will be presented to a coach who has led a sports team to an outstanding achievement in 2004.

A total of five coaches have been nominated for the Distinguished Services Award for Coaching, which will be presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to coaching at the national and international levels for a minimum period of 10 years prior to nomination.

The Coach Education Award will be presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to coach education for a minimum period of five years prior to nomination. Six candidates will be competing for the Award.

Fifteen coaches have been nominated for the Community Coach Recognition Awards that will be presented to coaches who are adjudged to have made a special contribution to the development of athletes and coaches within the community for a period of three consecutive years prior to nomination.

Results of the 2004 Hongkong Bank Foundation Coaching Awards will be announced at the prize presentation luncheon to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong on 24 April 2005.

The Coaching Awards is one of the major components of the Hong Kong Coach Education Programme (HKCEP) which the Hongkong Bank Foundation has committed over HK$16 million since 1992. Organised by the HKCC, HKCEP aims to nurture high quality sports coaches for Hong Kong.

The HKCC is a joint committee of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China and the Hong Kong Sports Institute, with an aim to formulate short-term and long-term strategies for the development of coach education and accreditation programmes in Hong Kong.