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. The details of the HKAF Education Grant are set out in the following paragraphs.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the grant under the HKAF Education Grant, applicants must satisfy ALL of the following criteria set out in these application guidelines:

Senior current or retired elite athlete of a recognised National Sports Association (NSA); for retired applicants, applications must be submitted within two years from the Official Retirement Date, and
Has achieved a result equivalent to an Elite Vote (“EV”) Score of 3 points or above in accordance with the Elite Vote Support System (“EVSS”) Generic Scoring Table (i.e. medallist in events with more than 9 entries or top 1/3 placement in events with 9 or fewer entries under the Senior category at the National Championships, or in events of the same level or higher). Results under the Junior category will not be considered (please refer to the details of EVSS at HKSI website); 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.

Scope of Funding Support

Types of Grant

Education Grant

Sports Certificate Grant

Applicants

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

1^st Study Programme

Meeting HKAF criteria

2^nd Study Programme

Meeting HKAF criteria; &
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	The applicant’s full-time training will be measured against the full-time training standard and system set by the HKSI:
	a)	Applicants must prioritize elite-level training and competition as their primary commitment throughout the training period;
	b)	Applicants must not hold full-time employment or be enrolled in full-time academic 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 study contact hours to the equivalent of a part-time programme (i.e. not more than 10 contact hours per week on average). Documentation issued by the school or employer is required under these circumstances;
	c)	Applicants must undertake supervised full-time training for a minimum of 5 days and 25 hours per week (for able-bodied athletes) or 5 days and 20 hours per week (for disabled athletes);
	d)	Any engagement in part-time work or studies must be approved in advance and supported by documentary proof issued by the Head Coach and the NSA. In the absence of such prior approval, the relevant training period shall not be recognised.
²	Any period during which the applicant was employed by the HKSI as a training partner will not be considered as eligible full-time training under the EAPRS criteria.
³	The NSA concerned must be a recognized member under the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (the “SF&OC”).

Important Notes For Applicants

Please read carefully the following important notes for HKAF applicants:

Eligible Study Programmes/Courses

Applicants are required to submit their application prior to commencement of the study year/course.

Education Grant

1.1 Courses/modules that have already commenced or been completed before the application deadline are not eligible under the Education Grant.

Sports Certificate Grant

1.2 For sports certificate courses submitted under the Sports Certificate Grant, the same eligibility rule applies: only courses that commence on or after April 1 or September 1 of the current application year will be considered. Courses that have already commenced or been completed prior to the application deadline of respective vetting cycles are not eligible. As course durations may vary, only courses that are ongoing and not completed prior to the application deadline will be eligible.

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..
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.

Collection of Personal Data for HKAF Application

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.
Subject to exemptions under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, applicants have the right of access and correction with respect to his/her personal data.

Acceptance of Applications

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

Prevention of Double Benefits of Subsidy

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.
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

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.
In the event that applicant fails to complete some courses/modules, reimbursement of tuition fees will be calculated according to established pro-rata mechanism.
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

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.

Grant Approval

Successful applicants will be required to accept the terms and conditions of the approved Education Grant.

Application Procedure

Applications are invited twice a year (around July and December).
Applicants must complete and submit the official application form (downloadable from the HKSI website), together with all required supporting documents to the Athlete Affairs Department of the HKSI by the specified deadline.
For applicants who are retired athletes, applications must be submitted within two years from the Official Retirement Date.
Late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances.
All Applications will be presented to the Elite Training and Athletes Affairs Committee of the HKSI for approval.
All applicants will be informed of the application results in October and March.

[ Application Guideline & Form (PDF) ]

Enquiries

Ms Tina HO, Athlete Affairs Officer | Tel: (852) 2681 6176 | E-mail: [email protected]
Ms Wendy TSANG, Athlete Affairs Officer | Tel: (852) 2681 6478 |
E-mail: [email protected]

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