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Written by: Liu Yanwen
2021-05-28 08:30
Last update date: 2021-05-28 08:30
There are less than 100 days left for the Tokyo Olympics to kick off. The SAR government made an extraordinary move earlier to purchase the television broadcasting rights and hand them over to five television stations for free broadcasting, allowing Hong Kong people to watch this international event under the new crown pneumonia.
The Hong Kong government seems to attach great importance to sports, but in fact, many policies have made sports practitioners unsustainable—the most typical example. Since the policy of "popularization, elitism, and eventization" was put forward in 2002, the authorities only saw "Eliteness" and continuous tilt of resources have led to "sports" being divided by the system.
It is undeniable that the "elite" system does have a greater chance of bringing honor to Hong Kong, and it is understandable that the authorities have invested more resources.
The problem is that many "non-elite events" actually have elite athletes. They also fight under the name of "Hong Kong Team", but they have not been able to get the support they deserve.
"Hong Kong 01" interviewed three non-elite athletes and asked them to personally talk about the difficulties of developing as non-elite athletes in Hong Kong; and had a dialogue with Hong Kong Association and Olympic Committee Vice President Huo Qigang and sports scholar Lei Xiongde. Causes of uneven resource allocation.
Sports are a right that everyone should enjoy as equals. Sports practitioners can create the "Olympic dream" together.
If the government attaches importance to local sports, it should not only "elite" specific sports, but provide appropriate support to each sport so that potential athletes have the opportunity to become "elite".
Continuing the above:
Hong Kong Athletes, Shanghai | Isn't "non-elite" sports worth promoting?
"If you are the government, why should you provide funds for non-elite events to go abroad?" Lei Xiongde, a professor in the Department of Physical Education, Sports and Health of Hong Kong Baptist University, asked in an interview with "Hong Kong 01".
The implication is that non-elite projects are not worthy of government funding for development?
Sports scholar Lei Xiongde: He firmly believes that sports have social functions to
consolidate
society and show soft power.
Lei Xiongde explained that he only studied Hong Kong sports culture from an academic point of view and pointed out that many people have not yet clarified the Hong Kong sports system.
According to Article 143 of the Basic Law, “The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall formulate its own sports policies. Non-governmental sports organizations may continue to exist and develop in accordance with the law.” According to the provisions of the Basic Law, all sports organizations in Hong Kong are defined as “civil organizations”, including Hong Kong Association and Olympic Committee.
He believes that as a non-governmental organization, sports organizations have nothing to do with the government. "In fact, the Hong Kong football team participates in the Olympics and does not represent Hong Kong. This concept has been messed up by everyone. They represent the Hong Kong Football Association." Because each country or region Only one team can be sent for the game, so the government gives the opportunity to the General Assembly.
Lei Xiongde stated that in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law, all sports organizations in Hong Kong are defined as "civil organizations," including the Hong Kong Association and Olympic Committee.
He believes that as a non-governmental organization, sports organizations have no relationship with the government.
(Profile picture)
Lei Xiongde believes that this is a policy left over from the colonial era. The Basic Law guarantees that Hong Kong citizens can freely participate in sports that they are interested in. It is not the government that decides which sports the citizens play.
Under this framework, the government has no nominal responsibility to actively provide subsidies to every movement developed in Hong Kong; but the policy framework left by the colonial government does not mean that it has to be retained. If the policy does not conform to the current situation in Hong Kong, the government has the responsibility to be timely Adjustment.
At present, Hong Kong people's demand for sports is higher than that in the colonial era. There are also many non-mainstream sports that have developed well in Hong Kong. It is necessary to restructure the sports structure.
Furthermore, the "Basic Law" states that the government has the responsibility to formulate sports policies on its own. The policies should enable non-governmental organizations to "exist and develop" in accordance with the law.
In accordance with the Basic Law, the government allows non-elite sports organizations to "exist", but in the absence of funds, there is no way to "development". Therefore, according to the Basic Law, the government is also obliged to provide assistance.
Speculation takes the lead and emphasizes economic benefits. Sports development is like entering a "dead end
." The provisions of the Basic Law do not clearly require the government to subsidize all sports, but the responsibility of "education" cannot be shirk.
Lei Xiongde believes that under the constitutional framework, the government may not need to provide funds to any sports associations, including elite or non-elite sports, but the government has the function of education. "The government has the responsibility to educate and nurture the public, and the promotion of sports has its role. For example, playing football can improve morale, tenacity, teamwork, and the body will be better. All of these save money for the society.” He continued that sports have social functions and can push society forward, and sports embody the soft power of a place. Can unite society.
"But how should the government's public money be allocated to the 13 policy bureaus? I have to ask the government. As sports people, of course, we hope that the government can provide more funds, but as Hong Kong citizens, everything needs money for food, clothing, housing, and transportation."
Lei Xiongde pointed out that if the management does not understand the value of sports culture to society, then the development of sports in this place may be relatively hopeless.
(Photo by Gong Jiasheng)
Lei Xiongde said that the government distinguishes between elite and non-elite sports and is only a mechanism for allocating resources, but this term is not helpful in promoting sports culture.
In fact, what the government values is not the promotion of physical health and the training of team spirit, but the benefits that medals bring to society.
Lei Xiongde mentioned that windsurfing athlete Li Lishan won the Olympic gold medal in 1996. That year, the whole city was upset, and a large number of citizens even traveled to Cheung Chau. "This is based on identity, and the government is more regarded as a tool to stabilize society." In other words, the chance to win the prize. Lower sports are defined as non-elite projects because these projects are not helpful to the government and therefore "abandon" development.
Hong Kong's sports policy reflects not only the government's "opportunism", but also social values. The crux of the problem stems from education.
Lei Xiongde said that Hong Kong's education system is quantified by government policies, students and parents only focus on academic performance, and sports have become an unimportant link.
Furthermore, the government attaches great importance to economic benefits and hopes that only by investing resources in "elite projects", there will be a greater chance of obtaining more returns.
However, Lei Xiongde pointed out that "places with immature sports culture tend to have less economic benefits." In other words, the government must have a macro vision to promote sports culture, not just advocating certain sports.
He suggested that if we want to promote sports culture in Hong Kong in an all-round way, we can refer to the British practice and delegate the promotion of sports affairs to multiple policy bureaux. For example, sports and education are related, and the government can assign the promotion responsibility to the Education Bureau.
However, Lei Xiongde believes that the development of sports in Hong Kong has entered a "dead end." "Sports culture has unique value to society. If even the management of the society does not understand these values, the development of sports in this place is relatively hopeless. This is A little helpless, because sports culture is good for society."
Huo Qigang said that to adjust the allocation of resources, a census should be done first to understand which sports have development advantages.
The picture shows the Asian Games fencing competition.
(Photo by Li Zetong)
Hong Kong Association and Olympic Committee Vice President Huo Qigang: Outdated policies, lagging behind, census and reform directions
The reason why Hong Kong's sports development has entered a "dead end" is often due to the long-standing problems in the government's formulation of policies-lack of direction.
As a matter of fact, the government has invested a lot of resources in sports. The expenditure on the construction of the Kai Tak Sports Park and recreational and sports facilities is not taken into account, and the recurrent expenditure of the sports sector alone, the government will allocate about 5 billion yuan each year.
So why do non-elite sports always lack resources for development?
"Maybe the problem is that after using these billions, what will we achieve in the end? It's better to look at KPIs (key performance indicators) and consider whether they are used properly." Hong Kong Association and Olympic Committee Vice President Huo Qigang received an exclusive interview with "Hong Kong 01" It is pointed out that the government has given a lot of resources to the sports sector, but the question is which level the government hopes to push sports to.
Huo Qigang said that the sports policy of "universal, elite, and event-oriented" was set more than ten years ago. When formulating the policy, the government was not very interested in sports stakeholders, policy development directions, and young people. Understand that, in short, the policy is still outdated.
What sports policy needs is not fine-tuning, not just increasing funding or building infrastructure such as the Kai Tak Sports Park, but understanding the needs of the public and sports practitioners.
(Profile picture)
Therefore, what sports policy needs is not fine-tuning, not just increasing funding or building infrastructure such as the Kai Tak Sports Park, but understanding the needs of the public and sports practitioners.
Huo Qigang believes that to make adjustments to sports policies or the mechanism of resource allocation, the government should first conduct a census to understand which sports the people like and which sports have development advantages, etc. "Look at which sports can be promoted. I boldly propose, can you? Using the census, once every five years, you can clearly see where the (sports) trend is.” In this way, the government has a better grasp of public opinion and understands the public’s preference for non-elite sports and emerging sports.
Huo Qigang said that in recent years, we have noticed the emergence of new sports such as dodge ball and dodge disk; in addition, sports that have newly joined the Olympic and Asian Games competitions, such as skateboarding, rock climbing, and e-sports, are all of the more interesting events for young people nowadays. From the perspective of popularization, should we provide more resources for them to develop?"
He also pointed out that many non-elite projects have gradually gained international attention. "Can we provide resources earlier, hire better coaches, and train more? Many athletes, let this project emerge in other countries "first drink the soup?" When the government implements or reforms policies, there will always be a malaise-procrastination, but competition in the sports world is every second.
Huo Qigang said that if the event has become popular around the world in another five to ten years, it will be more difficult for Hong Kong athletes to achieve performance in disguise.
Huo Qigang believes that the "industrialization" of sports can help non-elite sports develop more resources.
(Photo by Chen Jiahui)
Advocate the "industrialization" of sports and broaden the indicators of elite events The
current athlete funding system is mainly dominated by medals, and it is difficult for non-elite or emerging events to obtain sufficient resources for development.
However, Huo Qigang believes that the current elite project system is necessary, but due to limited resources, it is difficult to evenly distribute.
However, the Hong Kong government should broaden the criteria for athletes and sports associations to apply for funding, and should not rely on medals. "Can we be more flexible in choosing elite sports? Many sports associations worry about not having sufficient resources and the ability to hire coaches." For example, he pointed out that although the United Kingdom is also based on medals, they will consider whether the sport can be popularized by the grassroots, the country's development potential, and even the national fitness.
Based on detailed research, the government has set the development direction, "For example, the goal of elite projects is clear, that is, medals. The requirements of non-elite projects are not how many points should be scored, but it can be to popularize sports."
In addition, Huo Qigang believes that the "industrialization" of sports can help non-elite sports develop more resources.
He pointed out that everyone should not stop at discussing the problem of insufficient resources. If the resources available to the government are limited, they should think about how to "bigger" and derive more resources from existing resources. "Industrialization" is one of the methods.
He said that rugby is a good example. The Rugby Sevens brings considerable income to the Rugby Football Association. Players can also receive commercial sponsorship and obtain more resources for training and promotion. The same is true for other sports. The Civil Affairs Bureau supports the development of sports. The Civil Affairs Bureau looks at subsidized projects, but the Bureau of Commerce and Economics is responsible for industry and business operations. Can this thinking be broken? Can they be inclusive?"
Sports projects are difficult to be
responsible for their own
profits and losses. In the final analysis, the government must First understand the territory of the sports world and re-set the direction of development. "The current problem is that the system is very fixed and will not change. But the world is changing. There are many emerging sports emerging, and many areas have not yet been finalized. The world is moving fast. It’s hard to develop if you don’t support them.”
The above is excerpted from the 266th issue of "Hong Kong 01" Weekly Report (May 24, 2021) "Seriously uneven distribution of sports resources is not "non-elite" sports worth promoting? ". If you want to read the full text, please
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