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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 HK$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

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

  • Senior current or retired elite athlete of a recognised National Sports Association (NSA); and
  • Has achieved Elite Vote (EV) 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
  • 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; and
  • Has resided in Hong Kong for a minimum of three years and is a holder of Hong Kong Identity Card.
     

Enhanced Scope of Funding Support

Types of Grant Education Grant Sports Certificate Grant
Applicants Current and retired athletes Current and retired athletes
Qualifications of Study Programme All post-secondary
full-time and part-time study programmes, including master’s and doctor’s degree programmes		 Short-term sports certificate programmes
Institutions Offering the Programmes/Courses
  • University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded Tertiary Education Institutions;
  • Post-secondary Institutions;
  • Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE);
  • Continuing education departments of UGC-funded Tertiary institutions; OR
  • Approved overseas colleges or universities (if no comparable courses are offered locally)
  • University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded Tertiary Education Institutions;
  • Post-secondary Institutions;
  • Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE);
  • Continuing education departments of UGC-funded Tertiary Institutions; OR
  • Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
  • Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI)
  • “National Sports Associations” under the Sports Subvention Scheme of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department;
  • Approved local or overseas sports-related organisations, colleges or universities (if no comparable courses are offered locally)
Number of Programmes Supported 1st Study Programme
  1. Meeting HKAF criteria

2nd Study Programme
  1. Meeting HKAF criteria; &
  2. With 4 or more years of full-time training1
Note: Document / information to certify full-time training are required to support application
Up to TWO sports certificate programmes.
Amount of Grant A maximum grant of HK$70,000 per year, with a maximum of 6 years for the length of grant per programme.
The ceiling of the maximum grant per programme will be capped at HK$300,000.		 Maximum grant per programme: HK$20,000.
Subsistence Allowance Only eligible for retired athletes for application:
Retired athletes who are undertaking long-term full-time study programmes may apply a subsistence allowance up to a maximum of HK$40,000 per year with a maximum 6 years, subject to the length of study programme.		 N/A
Point to notes for Full-time Training Requirement
1 Definition of Full-time Training Athlete at the HKSI:
  a) Athletes have to follow the elite training and competitions requirements as their first priority;
  b) Athletes do not have full-time job nor engage in full-time study programmes, except where temporary deferment of the full-time study programme has been approved by the school, or arrangements have been made by the school to reduce the contact hours to the equivalent of a normal part-time programme (i.e. not more than 10 hours per week on average). Documentation issued by the school/employer is required under these circumstances;
  c) A minimum of 5 days and 25 hours (for able-bodied athletes) or 5 days and 20 hours (for disabled athletes) of supervised training per week;
  d) Athletes taking up part-time job/studies must be approved by Head Coaches/NSAs.


Important Notes For Applicants

Please read carefully the following important notes for HKAF applicants:

Eligible Study Programmes/Courses

  1. Applicants are required to submit their application prior to commencement of the study year/course.
  2. Courses/modules that have already commenced or completed before the application deadline are not be eligible for education grant.
  3. Applicants who have received financial support from other organisations/institutions to cover the tuition fee of the applied course in full, these courses are not eligible for education grant, for example, grants and loans are received from the Student Finance Office, University Sports Subsidy Scheme and the Local Education Allowance from the HKSAR Government etc..
  4. If applicants whose programmes/courses have already been partially subsidised by other funding sources, they can only submit application for remaining courses that have not commenced and are not subsidised.


Prevention of Double Benefits of Subsidy

  1. It should be noted that to prevent double benefit of subsidy, the provision of education grant is to subsidise the study programme/courses on the basis that the study programmes/courses under the HKAF application has not been subsidised by any other education grant/scholarship/subsidy.
  2. If applicant has received other education grants/scholarships/funding to support his/her study programme, applicant needs to declare at the time of application/during the study period (if any) and provide supporting information. The education grant (if approved) may be adjusted according to other scholarship/subsidy received.


Reimbursement of Tuition Fees

  1. Reimbursement of the approved HKAF education grant is based on (i) courses/modules with a passing grade and (ii) actual tuition fees paid by the recipients, as reflected in the official receipts submitted. Applicants must provide supporting documents of these other subsidies for application and approval.
  2. In the event that applicant fails to complete some courses/modules, reimbursement of tuition fees will be calculated according to established pro-rata mechanism.
  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.


Termination of Education Grant

  1. Education grant will be subject to termination or requested for refund of disbursed grant if the successful HKAF recipient withdraws from study / has breached the double benefit principle/provided false/forged documents/information for application.


Collection of Personal Data for HKAF Application

  1. The personal data provided by means of this application form will be used by the HKSI or other relevant organisations, such as the Student Financial Assistance Agency, for the purpose of verification and processing of applications only.
  2. Subject to exemptions under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, applicants have the right of access and correction with respect to his/her personal data./li>


Acceptance of Applications

  1. The HKSI reserves the right to accept or reject any application.


Application Procedure

  1. Applications are invited twice a year (around July and December).
  2. Applicants have to submit the completed application form together with supporting documents to the Athlete Affairs Department of the HKSI by the specified deadline.
    • Retired athletes have to submit the application within 2-year grace period following the official retirement date.
    • If retired athletes are unable to submit the application within 2-year grace period, applicants have to submit their applications in the most recent application cycle upon the end of the grace period.
      Otherwise, late application will not be accepted.
  3. Applications will be presented to the Elite Training and Athletes Affairs Committee of the HKSI for approval.
  4. All applicants will be informed of the application results in October and March.


[ Application Guideline & Form (PDF) ]
 

Enquiries

Mr Dicky CHAN, Athlete Affairs Officer  |  Tel: (852) 2681 6176  |  Fax: (852) 2605 0618  |  E-mail: DickyChan@hksi.org.hk
Ms Moon LEE, Athlete Affairs Officer  |  Tel: (852) 2681 6366  |  Fax: (852) 2605 0618  |  E-mail: MoonL@hksi.org.hk

Address: Athlete Affairs Department, Hong Kong Sports Institute, 25 Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin, N.T., Hong Kong