The city’s sports pyramid is well developed, Hong Kong Institute of Sports At the base of the pyramid, most people use public facilities provided by the Department of Leisure and Cultural Services for recreational sports, which are undertaken for enjoyment and to promote public health, rather than for performance.
Between the recreational level and the sports institutes lies the main group of active athletes. These people in the middle of the pyramid are the most important group because they provide the competition that helps develop the top athletes. The pathway from the junior level to this intermediate group is necessary to get the best athletes to the elite level.
But there’s a disconnect here: the middle tier just doesn’t have enough competitive athletes to support a larger group of elite athletes who can compete at the highest level.
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The Hong Kong Institute of Sport offers excellent facilities and programmes for the training of elite athletes. Qualification criteria are rigorous and based on success in specific events. This is based on the sport, not the individual athlete, so to be accepted into the system the relevant sports association must demonstrate a track record.
An association must achieve success in events such as the Olympics and Asian Games to achieve Tier A or Tier B status. After achieving that, they must continue to meet their targets with regular reviews. If they fail to do so, There is a possibility of being demoted Or you will lose support.
Lack of access to and support for sports facilities is a major obstacle for any sport and its athletes. Outside of facilities, individual sports associations must perform without the facilities or funding to provide the training required to enter a sports institution. Many associations do not have dedicated training facilities and instead Public Facilities There, they will compete for space and time with recreational users.
The government invests A lot of money High levels of elite performance are expected in sport, but this expenditure does not include the expansion of high performance hubs beyond the Hong Kong Institute of Sport. Most sports associations are good at organising events and running training programmes for new entrants to their sport, but they generally lack the right facilities to enable athletes to develop to the levels they can and should reach.
Runners training for the Hong Kong FourTrails Ultra Challenge earlier this year. Trail running events in Hong Kong have seen impressive growth, thanks to the opportunities offered by Hong Kong’s stunning country parks. Photo: Handout
Another feature of the change in Hong Kong’s sports scene is Club Growth Or a group of highly competitive athletes. These dedicated athletes may train 4-5 days a week, have their own training programs, and have their own jobs.
They have no specific venue or base and operate mainly through social media. They may belong to affiliated associations, some of which include former elite athletes who share their skills and experience. They compete at events in Hong Kong and around the world.
Additionally, many sports now have age-group competitions that provide a large portion of the intermediate age group that supports the development of elite athletes. They provide training partners, racing experience, and competition up to a certain level. Retired elite athletes often compete in age-group competitions, Masters World Championships It is held regularly and many former Olympians participate.
Although Hong Kong players perform well at this level, there is little recognition of the positive impact they are making on Hong Kong, and no official acknowledgement of the need for better training facilities. Investing in permanent training facilities for the sports associations, which they share with their affiliated clubs and members, would put this middle tier of the pyramid in a much better position to help develop elite players before they move on to the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
Hong Kong triathletes (from left) Jason Ng Tai Lung, Bailey Brown and Hilda Choi Yeung Ying train at the Hong Kong Sport Institute on August 21, 2023. Photo: Yik Yong Man
Governments must recognise that more permanent solutions need to be found. Sports Association Training Facilities Sport is and will remain an integral part of society if we want to maintain high standards of sports performance at all levels.
If governments recognise this and act, sports associations will be able to take a long-term view of their needs and seriously invest in their facilities. Facilities created beyond typical recreational facilities, with the goal of improving athlete performance outside of sporting facilities, will create a new approach to excellence.
Such investment would produce many more top-class athletes than Hong Kong’s sports pyramid currently produces, and although it is too late to impact athletes’ performances in Paris, it would be a good foundation for something better. 2028 Los Angeles Olympics onwards.
Ian Brownlee is Managing Director of Masterplan Limited, a planning and development consultancy, an advisor to the Hong Kong Aquatic Sports Council and a masters athlete in several sports.
