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Following is a question by the Hon Frederick Fung and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, in the Legislative Council today (February 26):
Question:
An athlete representing Hong Kong participated in the Olympic Winter Games (OWG) held this month in Sochi, Russia. The athlete alleged that he had repeatedly requested, before his departure for the Games, the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) to arrange for a team doctor to accompany him, but the request was turned down by SF&OC on the ground that all the places of the Hong Kong Delegation had been taken up. Moreover, senior officials of SF&OC on the Delegation rarely showed concern for his training when they were in Sochi. There are comments that Hong Kong athletes participating in previous OWG had received scant support from the Government and SF&OC apart from the funding provided by the Government for their participation in such sport games. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the criteria adopted by SF&OC for determining the composition of the Hong Kong Delegation to Sochi OWG (including the numbers of different types of members and the relevant candidates); whether there is any difference between such criteria and those adopted for previous participation in Olympic Games or other major international sport games; how the composition compares with that of the delegations from countries or regions which sent one to three athletes to participate in the Games, and whether team doctors were included in their delegations;
(2) whether it knows the duties and itineraries of various members of the Hong Kong Delegation to Sochi OWG when they were there (including the name and contents of each function they participated, and the percentages of the time involved in such functions in the entire trip, as well as their free time);
(3) whether it has assessed if the medical services provided by the hosts of sport games can cover all the services of a team doctor, as well as the impact of the absence of the support of a team doctor on the performances of Hong Kong athletes; and
(4) whether it will require SF&OC to make comprehensive care for the needs of athletes participating in competitions as its fundamental principle when determining the composition of Hong Kong delegations to major international sport games in future and such delegations must include team doctors; if it will not, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Summer Olympic Games and the Olympic Winter Games are international multi-sport events organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Olympic Charter (the Charter). All participants in Olympic events are required to obtain recognition from the IOC and comply with the Charter. One of the fundamental principles of the Charter is that the organisation, administration and operation of sport should be governed by an independent sports organisation, which has the responsibility to protect its autonomy from any effects which may render its strict compliance with the Charter provisions impossible.
In Hong Kong, the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), a sports organisation recognised by the IOC has the authority to handle matters relating to the participation of the Hong Kong Delegation in specified international games.
The Government supports local competitions, training programmes, athletes' participation in international sports events and staff training for different sports by providing funds to "national sports associations" (NSAs), the SF&OC and the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI). As regards participation in international sports events, the Home Affairs Bureau examines and approves funding applications from NSAs and the SF&OC for preparation for and participation in such events, and monitors their use of public funds.
Taking the participation of the Hong Kong Skating Union (HKSU), in this year's Olympic Winter Games as an example, we allocated recurrent funding of about $1.37 million to the HKSU under the Sports Subvention Scheme in 2013-14 for athlete training, sports promotion and administration. We allocated a further $300,000 to the HKSU in February 2013 to cover expenditure on items such as extra training, coaching and training equipment for two athletes recommended by the NSA to prepare for the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. To support the participation of the Hong Kong Delegation (which included another three athletes who were then still at the qualifying stage and the representatives of the related sports) in the Olympic Winter Games, we provided additional funding of $650,000 in response to an application by the SF&OC to cover expenditure on items such as: economy class air tickets, accommodation, meals, local transportation, uniforms and medical assessments.
Mr Barton Lui, the athlete who took part in this year's Olympic Winter Games, has received a Sports Aid Grant from the HKSI since April 2013 and has been an HKSI scholarship athlete since December 2013. Three other HKSU athletes are also HKSI scholarship athletes. When skating (including figure skating and short track speed skating) became an elite sport in April 2013, the HKSU began receiving direct financial assistance from the HKSI.
My reply to the respective parts of the question is as follows:
(1) The SF&OC has full discretion in determining a Hong Kong Delegation list in accordance with the provisions of the Charter and the regulations of the games concerned. The Government has no right to be involved in this process. According to our understanding, the detailed arrangements (including the composition of delegations from participating regions) for events in the Olympic Games and other major international games (such as the Asian Games) are different. In general, the composition of a delegation for major international games includes the athletes, representatives of the sport concerned (such as the coach and the team manager), technical officials, National Olympic Committee representatives and other members (including the Chef de Mission, medical supporting staff and other staff members). The quota for certain types of member is allocated by the organiser according to the number of participating athletes. We note that in this year's Olympic Winter Games, some participating countries or regions did not include a team doctor in their delegations.
(2) We examine comprehensively all funding applications that the SF&OC submits for participation in sports events, including the proposed delegation list, a brief description of duties and responsibilities of each delegation member and other related documents.
(3) and (4) The Government recognises the SF&OC's authority in determining the Hong Kong Delegation list. It also recognises that the SF&OC is best placed to assess the necessary level of medical support for a sports event. We agree that Hong Kong athlete participants should be provided with adequate support. We will reflect Members' views to the SF&OC.
Ends/Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Issued at HKT 13:30
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