Kenneth Fok：Promoting Sports into Hong Kong’s Pride and National Success
09/08/2021 - 21:44
OHKF “INSIGHT FORUM” Series
(8 September 2021, Hong Kong) At the “INSIGHT FORUM” organised by Our Hong Kong Foundation, Mr Kenneth Fok, Fok Ying Tung Group Vice President and Hong Kong Sports Federation & Olympic Committee Vice President, shared the strategies for turning the sports industry into Hong Kong’s pride, and integrating with China’s sports development.
Mr Bernard Chan, Convenor of the Executive Council of the HKSAR Government, President of Asia Financial Holdings, and OHKF Vice Chairman, notes greater attention should be paid to athletes, and not just limited to the recent fervour for the Tokyo Olympics, Paralympics, and National Games of the People's Republic of China. All sectors in the society, in particular the business sector, should continue to support and promote sports development.
Mr Kenneth Fok, Vice President of the Fok Ying Tung Group, Vice President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, highlights the HKSAR Government’s three-pronged strategy in sports development: 1) to promote sports in the community by optimising resource allocation and development of sports events, and enhancing training for coaches and international referees; 2) to support elite sports development by strengthening broadcasters' support for sports; 3) to promote Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events by increasing the Government’s investment in long-term sports development.
Mr Kenneth Fok underlines the needs to commercialise Hong Kong’s sports industry. He suggests the authorities to formulate policies and support the local sports industry to integrate with the GBA and mainland markets. Moreover, the business sector and the society at large should be incentivised through tax concessions and "sports vouchers” to encourage their participation in sports.
Mr Adam Kwok, Member of the Major Sports Events Committee of the Home Affairs Bureau of the HKSAR Government, and Founder of SHKP Cycling Academy, points out that collaboration among the Government, business and the public is necessary to make Hong Kong a major location for international sports events. He takes cycling as an example, researches on resistance tests for cyclists to help enhance their performances were made possible with support from business sector.
Mr Eric Yeung, Founding President of Esports Association Hong Kong, highlights that the e-sports ecosystem is constantly evolving, as the trend went from making e-sports an official “sports”, to turning traditional sports into e-sports. He expresses that the recent trend helps promote the popularity and industrialisation of sports, and also compensate for the lack of sports venues in Hong Kong.
Bronze Medallist of the Table Tennis Women's Team Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Ms Doo Hoi-kem attributes her success to the professional training of the national table tennis team. She has great respect for all national athletes as “every one of them is my idol”. She hopes that more league competitions will be organised in the GBA before the 2025 National Games of the People's Republic of China to promote exchanges between athletes from Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Macau.
In the panel discussion, Mr Kenneth Fok (middle), Vice President of the Fok Ying Tung Group, Vice President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China; Mr Adam Kwok (second from left), Member of the Major Sports Events Committee of the Home Affairs Bureau of the HKSAR Government, Founder of SHKP Cycling Academy; Mr Eric Yeung (first from left), Founding President of Esports Association Hong Kong; Ms Doo Hoi-kem (second from right), Bronze Medallist of the Table Tennis Women's Team Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, exchange their views on how to promote sports development in Hong Kong. Mr Stephen Wong (first from right), OHKF Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Public Policy Institute as moderator.
