Sports Development in Hong Kong

In recent years, Hong Kong athletes are achieving great results, winning medals and breaking records at many international competitions, including six medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, five medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and 53 medals at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. Due to the successes of these athletes, sports have gained higher social recognition in today’s Hong Kong.

Its success also stimulated more interest among students to pursue courses in sports. In the first round of JUPAS application, EdUHK’s Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Physical Education) and Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Sports Science and Coaching became the most and fourth most sought-after programmes, with 42 and 37 applicants competing for one place respectively.

In this issue, FLASS FORWARD interviews two Hong Kong sports development experts, Dr Lawrence Ho Ka-ki, an Assistant Professor from the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPS) and Dr Gary Chow Chi-ching, Assistant Professor from the Department of Health and Physical Education (HPE), to understand their views about sports development in Hong Kong.

Dr Ho is the co-editor of the recently published book “Sport in Hong Kong: Culture, Identity, and Policy”. Dr Chow used to be a rugby coach and educator, but ended that profession to focus on the high demands of his teaching and research work.

Dr Ho: It is very true that Hong Kong athletes displayed remarkable performance in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. Their achievements have stimulated Hong Kong people’s interest in sports. I was told fencing lessons have become in high demand after Hong Kong fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long grabbed a historic gold medal at the Olympic Games. It is even known as the “Ka-long effect”.

I know that the outstanding results of Hong Kong’s elite athletes have stimulated many Hong Kong people to rush to learn fencing, rowing, and cycling. But as for me, I enjoy watching football. It is a very grassroot sport. Watching football matches at a stadium can let you feel the pulse of city. The audience can experience anger, excitement, and euphoria in a match. Emotion changes every minute as the play progresses.

One of the most impressive moments in the history of Hong Kong football was the quarter-final match played between South China football team representing Hong Kong and Kuwait Sporting Club in 2009. I was there at the Hong Kong Stadium. It was full house with almost 40,000 spectaculars — a once-in-a-long-while happening – coming to support the home team.

Though South China lost in the end, it was a glorious moment for Hong Kong football. South China represented Hong Kong. If you watched the game at the stadium, you could feel the excitement of Hong Kong fans. We were overwhelmed. Football, as with other team sports, fascinates people as it engenders a sense of belonging and community. And this is the reason why I like watching football.

Dr Chow: I think Hong Kong’s Men Rugby Sevens team fares very well internationally. The recent addition to its glory was the Asian Games rugby sevens title grabbed in the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. The final game in which Hong Kong China’s team defended challenges from South Korea was a show of audacity.

Having a long tradition is one of the reasons why Hong Kong’s Men Rugby Sevens team excels. I think another reason is the effort made by World Rugby, the international federation for rugby, in organising many regional and international tournaments for national teams to compete. These tournaments allow teams of different levels to have abundant opportunities to compete with teams from the same level.

There is little doubt that the Hong Kong Sevens has become a much-anticipated annual event for rugby fans around the world. As Hong Kong’s hottest sports event, the three-day event attracts many tourists, expatriates living in Hong Kong, and local people to come to the stadium just to have a feel of the thrill of rugby games and the nonstop revelry.

Dr Chow: It is palpable that the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) has made a lot of contributions to the training of elite athletes. Credit also goes to EdUHK for its support to elite athletes. As an “Elite Athlete Friendly University”, EdUHK provides full support to our elite athlete students to pursue a dual career pathway. By allowing them extra flexibility in attending lessons and submitting assignments, elite athletes can continue to receive professional training at HKSI while studying at EdUHK. Through funding support by government bodies, Hong Kong Jockey Club (Jockey Club) and the like, today’s elite athletes have access to more resources than their seniors two decades ago.

The success of elite athletes is not an isolated phenomenon. Mass participation is another crucial factor that takes Hong Kong sports to a higher level. As The Hong Kong Institute of Education moved towards a degree-granting university – the institute changed its status to a university in 2016 – its PE curriculum has been substantially revised and strengthened. That means starting from the early 2000s, PE teachers had received increasingly vigorous training in sports science when they graduated from the institute. Today’s HPE graduates possess deeper knowledge in a wide range of subjects like sports psychology, nutrition studies, and physiology.

EdUHK has nurtured many professional PE teachers who now work at local primary and secondary schools. Having the appropriate professional knowledge and skills, they are capable of not only building up the physique of students, but also teaching the younger generation knowledge relating to sports and cultivating a positive attitude towards it. In this sense, we do play an important part in raising the city’s overall athletic standard.

The professionalism and commitment of our graduates towards physical education have changed the public’s view on sports. They set an example of how sports can build up a person, both in terms of career and personality.

Dr Ho: People’s mind set is changing. In the past two decades, there are increasingly more young people, and their parents as well, accept that a career in sports is one of the possible options for them. Because of society’s wider acceptance of sports, parents are now proud to share their children’s sports achievements with their peers. Using football, which is the sport I am familiar with, as an example, many parents are willing to let their children receive professional football training offered by Jockey Club and individual football clubs. They post photos of their children during the training on social media.

The education system has become much more congenial to students talented in sports as well. Some local schools encourage their students to develop their favourite sports, some pro-sports schools offer preferential treatment to applicants who excel in sports. In fact, there is no lack of top-performing athletes who are well-educated. The legendary Olympic silver medallist swimmer Siobhán Haughey keeps a good balance between her swimming endeavour and studies. She achieved high scores in her DSE, obtained a degree in psychology from the University of Michigan, and also holds a Grade 8 piano qualification.

Coaching certainly plays a key role in athletic performance. I have observed that Hong Kong excels in sport types that require scientifically-based training. I understand that many professionally trained coaches – locally-bred, from overseas, and from mainland China – have been working very hard to raise Hong Kong’s fencing, cycling, rowing, and Ping-pong team’s performance. In these sport types, the level of training has been raised noticeably in the past two decades.

To excel in traditional ball games like basketball and football, it requires a very broad base of mass participation and a high level of commercial sponsorship. At this point in time, Hong Kong cannot provide such support. However, it is relatively easy for Hong Kong to make big strides in individual sport types in which professional training plays a big role.

Dr Chow: I echoed with Lawrence’s view that the quality of the coach is pivotal. As such, to be able to bred further success in sports, Hong Kong needs to build a strong team of locally-trained coaches.

Dr Chow: When Hong Kong athletes achieve excellent results in international tournaments, all people of the city feel a sense of well-being and solidarity. Their performances become the talking points of the city. This shows how sports have the wonderful power to bring people together and foster unity. The success of an individual athlete or a team often causes a stir among the people it represents. What’s more, sports transcend social boundaries. When an individual or a team representing a place, be it a school, a city or a nation, wins a game, all people from that place will be excited. The excitement surpasses social, cultural, and even political differences.

Successes of our athletes also introduce more people to the sports. When there are enough people supporting a sport, together with the right government policies, that sport can develop into an industry that generates great commercial values. The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens and the Standard Chartered Marathon are two successful examples about how a sport event can bring benefits to the city. While the sevens attracts thousands of local and international spectators, the marathon draws a huge crowd of runners, including those from abroad. They have become the city’s flagship, iconic events that attract regional and international media to report and generate avalanche of stories on social media. At the very least, the publicity value of these events is priceless to the city.

Even though both the rugby and marathon have become a spectacle of the city, I think for the moment, only the rugby sevens can bring in real money. Organiser of Rugby Sevens made a huge effort in making the event a world-class carnival. It formed partnership with the right commercial brands to produce synergy on business sales. It arranges legendary rugby players to visit Hong Kong before the tournament to build up atmosphere. With thousands of fans descending to Hong Kong with their bells on, Causeway Bay, where the Hong Kong Stadium is located, and its neighbouring areas are filled with an atmosphere of excitement and exhilaration, giving rise to more business opportunities.

Dr Ho: It is very true that sports can foster unity and identity. To me, football is the game that breeds a great sense of togetherness. The football stadium is the place where fans wear their team’s shirt, wave their team’s flag, shout and scream, sometimes in profanity, and jeering at the opponents. When you participate in these manners at a match played by your national or city’s team, you will develop a strong emotional attachment to it, creating an identity. I still remember several historic football matches played by Hong Kong football team, including the qualifying game for the 1986 World Cup with the national team of China on 19 May 1985 and the one that Hong Kong made history by defeating Japan in the final of the 2009 East Asian Games. The emotional experience of watching these matches is beyond words.

Good international results made by Hong Kong athletes also bring pride to Hong Kong people. This is best illustrated by the elation felt by Hong Kong people when Siobhán Haughey and Edgar Cheung Ka-long won their Olympic medals. It was a euphoric moment. Regarding football, the Hong Kong football team went all the way to the semi-finalists in the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Game Men’s Football, and was qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Finals held in Qatar. The team received high commendation for its outstanding performance in these two games. The pride that rose from the successes of Hong Kong athletes will alter people’s views about sports, encouraging more to take part in, as professional athletes, spectators, or sponsors.

Sports also boost a place’s image. In recent years, Middle Eastern countries have hosted numerous major international tournaments. This has successfully boosted their global images. If more Hong Kong athletes continue to win medals in international games, and Hong Kong hosts more sporting events like the Rugby Sevens, it will definitely raise Hong Kong’s international image.

Dr Chow: I want to add that because of wider acceptance of sports, more people enjoy participating in sporting activities. It will improve the overall health of the whole population.

Dr Chow: There is a noticeable change in the attitude of Hong Kong people towards sports. An increasing portion of our population correlates sports with good health, and with academic and career choices. Social media reflects how people feel about sports. On the internet, you can find many sports related posts including those about different sport events, tips on improving athletic performance, and photos taken during different sports.

It is a good sign that a wider spectrum of our society taking part in sports. These include white-collar workers, highly-educated professionals and entertainment celebrities. Some of them even share personal tips on how to raise athletic performance and how to stay healthy and fit on their own platforms. We welcome and encourage this trend, as it helps promote sports. However, when more and more influencers share their views, it also runs a risk that the information people receive is not accurate and the advice people follow is biased. We, as an academic, have a heavier responsibility to clarify the misinformation and give out advice that are scientifically proven to the public.

Dr Ho: Hong Kong people show great respect to professionalism. In the past two decades, we have seen a large number of professional coaches coming from overseas and the mainland to the city. Sports coaching is definitely a profession. Coaches not only help build the physique of students and teach the fundamentals of a sport, but they also need to know how to mentor and inspire an athlete. That means they would work out a plan with athletes on how to achieve their athletic goals and would also know how to build their character and teach them good sportsmanship.

Not only are there more professionals coming to work here, the past two decades also saw more talent joining the sport and event management industry. The professionalism they bring to the industry is instrumental in raising the overall standard of sports and changing people’s view towards sports. I think in this regard, EdUHK is doing its parts in training up professionals in coaching and sports management.

Dr Ho: Recreational badminton, tennis, and football players in Hong Kong have suffered from the unscrupulous reselling of booking of public sports facilities. They are victims to all sorts of misconducts by booking scalpers. By improving the system of reserving sport facilities, public sports resources will be more adequately used by real lovers of sports. As a sociologist, I always believe in the power of a good system.

According to experiences from countries which have strong sports industries, commercial sponsorship is indispensable. The success of football in the UK is clearly linked with commercial sponsorship. Our government should also formulate policies that are favourable to commercial participation in sports.

In the UK, football is not only an activity played by professional players, but also embraced by its people as part of their lives. When I travelled in the Netherlands, I saw people on bicycles in every part of the country. Cycling has almost become the national sport of the Netherlands. It is part of the Dutch identity. People said most Dutch are physically fit because they cycle a lot. Throughout history, the Netherlands produces many great cyclists.

The point I want to raise is in addition to supporting elite athletes to achieve excellence and win medals, if we can encourage more citizens to do sports and enjoy the benefits of sports, it can truly be integrated into our communal life and possibly our shared identity. Sports give a place a strong identity and the benefit that it generates is immeasurable.

Dr Chow: I agreed that good development in sports require corresponding support from the government, private sector, and the general public. I observe that Hong Kong government is gradually forming its own strategy of building up the city's reputation as an event capital. The government has its own thinking when scheduling different sport events, including the rugby sevens, the Standard Chartered Marathon, and other marathons into the city’s sporting calendar. This strategy helps foster the atmosphere that Hong Kong is an energetic and an event-packed city.

Sports is a cross-disciplinary subject. It involves knowledge from sports science, sports psychology, physiology, human anatomy, and so forth. Many different kinds of professionals, like medics and physiotherapists, can contribute their knowledge to the sports industry too. Understanding the inner logic of sports definitely helps an architect when designing a stadium. Studies by anthropologists and sociologists help us understand how to reduce barriers of joining sport activities and motivate active participants.

As for EdUHK, we can help promote more inter-disciplinary studies on different topics relating to sports. In the end, knowledge is the engine propelling progress and change.

Dr Ho: I grew up in Yuen Long. All of my friends in Yuen Long had good natural instinct for sports. Even though I was the worst among them, I enjoyed the feeling of playing around with my friends there. When I was a kid, Yuen Long didn’t have many high-rise buildings and shopping malls like today. It still had many open spaces for kids to play football and explore other outdoor sports. Living there during my childhood was a great adventure. We all benefited from these outdoor activities physically and socially.

My health was subpar as a child. Since then, I have been playing football as I believe that it could strengthen my body. Playing football also gave me an excuse to leave home to shirk my duty as a student. Looking back, playgrounds and football pitches were the places where I released my energy and made friends. Playing sports, especially football, makes my life happier.

Dr Chow: When I was a child, I was not particularly sporty. It was my brother who persuaded me to play rugby. I started playing rugby when I was twelve. Since then, rugby has become my passion. I have played in league competitions organised by the Hong Kong China Rugby . Eventually, I got my coach licence in rugby and trained rugby coaches who will train other young people to play the game. My rich experience on the field gave me advantage to use rugby as the sport type to conduct my research.

I received a BEd degree from the Hong Kong Institute of Education in 2004 and taught physical education at a local school before going to the US where I completed a master’s degree programme in 2007. I joined HKIEd as a faculty member in 2007 and completed my PhD studies at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong in 2018. The first decade I came back to work here, I still took part in rugby union’s competition. Rugby is a collision sport that demands long hours of vigorous training to keep players physically fit for competitions. As teaching and research work began to occupy more and more of my time, I decided to stop playing in rugby competitions a few years ago.

The years studying physical education at HKIEd were very rewarding. I have picked up different kinds of sports. Currently, I like almost every kind of sports. Besides rugby, I have a slight penchant for long-distance hiking and running. I have joined 100-km trail walking several times and I enjoy running full marathons.

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