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Education Grant

Hong Kong Athletes Fund (HKAF)

Application Guidelines 
 

Introduction

To commemorate the achievements of Hong Kong athletes in the 1996 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Government established the Hong Kong Athletes Fund (HKAF), aiming to provide grants for educational and other academic training to individual athletes to allow them to pursue excellence in their chosen sports and to provide them with the opportunity to develop alternative careers upon retirement from sports.

In the 2019-20 Budget, the Government announced the injection of HK$250 million into the HKAF to increase scholarship awards in support of the dual career development of athletes, and provide more cash incentives for full-time athletes when they retire from sports.  Subsequently, the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved the injection of $250 million into the HKAF to enhance the dual career development and retirement support to athletes at its meeting on 17 July 2020.  To this end, the enhanced HKAF will be made available to eligible athletes with effect from 2020/21 academic year, with details as follows: 

Eligibility of athletes

To be eligible for support, athletes must satisfy all the following criteria:

• Has achieved Elite Vote Point 3 or above according to the EV Scoring Table (i.e. medallist (> 9 entries) or top 1/3 (≤ 9 entries) in National Senior Championships, or equivalent or above).  Results of junior championships will not be considered; and
• Senior current or retired elite athlete of a recognized National Sports Association (NSA). Retired athletes must apply for the grant within the two-year grace period following their retirement, or no later than the closest application cycle (i.e. Jul or Dec in each year) directly after the expiration of the grace period. Late applications would not be accepted; and
• Resided in Hong Kong for a minimum of three years and is a holder of a Hong Kong Identity Card at the time of application; and
• Eligible to represent Hong Kong in competitions that are sanctioned by the respective international federation either before or at the time of the deadline for applications.
   

Enhanced scope of funding support

Important notes

1. The enhanced education grant would be applicable to the remaining years of the study programmes of existing HKAF education grant recipients.
2. All HKAF recipients who have been approved with education grant before 2020/21 may apply for a second study programme if they have completed the 1^st study programme and fulfill the application eligibility of the 2^nd study programme under the enhanced education grant.
3. Athletes applying for HKAF to support their 2^nd study programme will be required to provide documents to support the period of full-time training claimed and to verify the related information if being requested.

General Notes

The following notes are useful for applicants applying the Hong Kong Athletes Fund education grant.  Please read carefully.

1. Applicants are required to submit their application prior to commencement of the course/the study year. Semesters/ courses that have already commenced before the application deadline will not be subsidized by the HKAF grant.
2. Grants will be released according to the number of study years and amount approved for each application.
3. Approved HKAF education grant will be reimbursed by instalments twice a year upon receipt of official tuition fee receipt and proof of satisfactory completion of the previous term of study (i.e. courses are completed with a passing grade).
4. Reimbursement of the approved HKAF education grant is based on the actual tuition fees that has been paid by the recipients, as reflected in the receipts submitted. Tuition fee that has been directly subsidized by other funding sources will not be reimbursed. Therefore, applicants must provide supporting documents of these other subsidies (if any) during application and after the grant approval.
5. Please note that for applicants who have received financial support from other organizations/ institutions to cover the tuition fee of the applied course in full, it is not eligible for reimbursement of approved HKAF grant. Examples of other financial support are grants and loans under the Student Finance Office, University Sports Subsidy Scheme and the Local Education Allowance from the HKSAR Government etc..
6. For course with tuition fee that has already been partially subsidized by other funding sources, only the remaining tuition fee of the approved applications will be eligible for reimbursement of approved HKAF education grant.
7. In general, only courses / subjects with a passing grade will be eligible for tuition fee reimbursement. Failed courses / subjects will be excluded and tuition fee reimbursement amount for the corresponding receipt will be made in pro-rata basis, with reference to the programme’s minimum required credits for graduation.
8. Subsequent grant will immediately be terminated for athletes who have withdrawn from the HKAF approved study programme.
9. The personal data provided by means of this application form will be used by the Hong Kong Sports Institute or other relevant organizations, such as the Student Financial Assistance Agency, for the purpose of verification and processing of applications only.
10. Subject to exemptions under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, applicants have the right of access and correction with respect to his/her personal data.
11. The Hong Kong Sports Institute reserves the right to accept or reject any application.

Application Procedure

• Applications will be accepted twice a year, in around July and January.  
• All applicants will be informed of the application results in October and March.

[ Application Guideline & Form (PDF)]

Enquiries

Ms Kary CHIU, Athlete Affairs Officer  |  Tel: (852) 2681 6176  |  Fax: (852) 2605 0618  |  E-mail: KaryC@hksi.org.hk
Ms Joy CHAN, Athlete Affairs Officer  |  Tel: (852) 2681 6528  |  Fax: (852) 2605 0618  |  E-mail: JoyC@hksi.org.hk

Address: Athlete Affairs Department, Hong Kong Sports Institute, 25 Yuen Wo Road, Shatin, NT