【明報專訊】THE GOVERNMENT has announced new funding arrangements for elite athletes and sports, retaining snooker and tennis as Tier A disciplines at the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), while increasing financial support for full-time athletes. As Hong Kong seeks to promote sports industrialisation, the authorities must flexibly respond to the city's unique circumstances. Beyond medal tallies, broader strategic considerations, such as industry development, should be factored into the elite sports funding mechanism.
The HKSI currently supports around 1,400 elite athletes, including approximately 600 full-time competitors. Following each Olympic and Paralympic cycle, the government conducts a review to determine whether specific sports should be upgraded or downgraded in status. Tier A designation grants athletes access to HKSI's training facilities, accommodation, and comprehensive sports science support, as well as funding for travel to international competitions.
After a sports commission meeting yesterday (24 March), the government confirmed that snooker and tennis, both under pressure for demotion in recent years, will retain Tier A status for another two years. Golf, which has delivered strong results, has also been upgraded to Tier A. Regarding financial support, all HKSI elite athletes will see an 8.3% increase in direct subsidies, while the monthly subsidy for the Senior Squad programme, as the entry-level full-time athlete category, will rise from $7,130 to $10,000.
A flexible and strategic approach to elite sports funding is essential—snooker is a prime example. As an indoor sport requiring limited space, it is well-suited to Hong Kong. Its strong following on the mainland, where four to five world-class tournaments are staged annually, further provides favourable conditions for the development of snooker in Hong Kong. The recent World Masters Snooker tournament at Kai Tak Sports Park drew significant interest from local and mainland audiences, underscoring the sport's commercial potential in Hong Kong.
Observers in the local snooker community describe that Hong Kong is well placed to ride the wave of the sport's popularity on the mainland and, by extension, emerge as a global hub for the game. Stripping the sport of its Tier A status on the grounds that it does not meet the rigid criteria—having featured in at least three of the past four and the next two editions of either the Olympic or Asian Games—would be an exercise in outdated thinking.
In recent years, the SAR government has placed greater emphasis on the effect of industrial policy. Historically, elite sports funding has been tied to performance, particularly success at the Olympics and Asian Games. While seemingly impartial and fair, this approach was, in reality, a means of avoiding risk. It allowed officials to sidestep a deeper analysis of each sport's development prospects before making judgements, while also insulating them from blame should a discipline's performance later decline. This risk-averse practice has favoured established sports at the expense of emerging ones with untapped potential, with the latter missing development opportunities due to inadequate funding.
By refining its funding approach, ensuring snooker and tennis retain Tier A status, the government has demonstrated much-needed flexibility. Looking ahead, the authorities' grading and funding decisions should be guided by broader strategic considerations, taking into account each sport's growth trajectory and its contribution to the development of Hong Kong's sports industry from a macro perspective.
明報社評 2025.03.25：資助精英運動項目 多看潛力多講策略
政府公布精英運動員及體育項目資助新安排，桌球及網球保留為體院A級精英項目，另體院全職運動員資助亦獲上調。當局推動體育產業化，需要因時因地制宜。精英運動資助機制，除了考慮獎牌成績，也應該將產業化等宏觀戰略，納入考慮之列。
現時體院約有1400名精英運動員，包括約600名全職運動員。每屆奧運及殘奧後，政府通常都會檢討，決定個別項目升級或降級。若項目列入A級，精英運動員可獲體院提供訓練場地、住宿及全面運動科學支援，前往海外參賽亦有機票等資助。
政府體育委員會昨天開會後，公布檢討結果，近年一直有「降級」壓力的桌球及網球，未來兩年繼續保留為體院A級精英項目，高爾夫球成績理想，亦獲升上A級。運動員待遇方面，所有體院精英運動員的直接資助上調8.3%，作為全職運動員入門組別的成年隊，標準資助額亦由每月7130元，提高至每月1萬元。
政府資助精英體育項目，必須重彈性、講戰略，桌球正是一例。桌球運動室內進行，所需空間有限，本來就相當適合香港，加上桌球在內地盛行，每年平均都會舉辦4、5項國際級大賽，更為本港桌球發展提供非常有利條件。本月初啟德體育園世界桌球大師賽，吸引本地及內地不少觀眾入場，突顯桌球運動在港產業化的潛力。
本地桌球界人士形容，香港有條件「被動地」成為世界桌球運動中心。如果當局僅因為桌球不符合「過往4屆及未來2屆最少3次成為奧運或亞運項目」的規定，褫奪其A級地位，才是食古不化。
特區政府近年愈益重視產業政策的作用。以往政府資助精英體育運動，以成績（特別是奧運亞運獎牌）評分，表面上客觀公道，其實是迴避風險。當局毋須深入分析不同運動項目發展形勢再作判斷取捨，萬一日後相關項目成績滑落，責任也不在政府身上。當局這種明哲保身的做法，只會令資助集中在既有成功的項目，而一些有潛力、亦有新人冒起的項目，卻因為得不到更多資助，錯失發展機會。
政府這次調整資助條件，延續桌球及網球A級資助，展現了應有的彈性。當局日後考慮評級資助，應該更強調策略性，多從不同項目發展形勢以及促進體育產業化等宏觀角度思考。
/ Glossary生字 /
demotion：a move to a lower position or rank, often as a punishment
sidestep (sth)：to avoid answering a question or dealing with a problem
trajectory：the curved path of sth that has been fired, hit or thrown into the air