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Council' to coordinate the sports activities throughout Hong Kong. Ever since an agreement has been reached between the Council for Recreation and Sport and the two Municipal Councils of Hong Kong on the responsibilities for funding of sports activities, the policies have been in practice for 3 years and governing bodies on sports have generally adapted to such policies. Under the new policy of sharing responsibilities for funding sports activities, the Council for Recreation and Sport and the two Municipal Councils have successfully undertaken the sports activities for elite sportsmen and sports activities at grass root level throughout Hong Kong. Hence the word 'admirably', which serves as a compliment to the achievements of the Urban Council in this respect, can be seen in line two of the last paragraph in Chapter VI of the Report.
The best way is therefore to maintain the status quo. However the government would need to support and strengthen the Council for Recreation and Sport. What I mean by support is to increase extensively the amount of fund allocated so that the Council for Recreation and Sport could provide ample subsidies to sports associations in training outstanding athletes and coaches for participation in local or international competitions and long-term development projects. Strengthening the Council for Recreation and Sport would mean the expansion of staff in the Secretariat of the Council for Recreation and Sport and a full provision of clerical officers and development officers to local sports governing bodies in assisting them in liaison work, application for subsidies, organization of functions and promotion of development projects etc. I have just pointed out that the number of sports venues available is quite insufficient in satisfying the Council's own need to hold activities organized for the public. In addition, spaces would have to be reserved for public rental while the needs of sports associations and schools should also be catered for. At present, sports associations usually rent the Council's venues for training outstanding sportsmen and holding competitions. It is therefore always the most headaching problem for the Council to maintain an equilibrium among the needs of the three. The government should therefore strengthen the Council for Recreation and Sport by constructing a sport training centre similar to the Jubilee Sports Centre, each on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon in order to provide venues for training elite sportsmen. These centres should come under the Council for Recreation and Sport and centre administrators, coaches and trainers be employed by the Council for Recreation and Sport to run these centres. The two different strata, namely the elites and the public, would then be catered for by two statutory authorities (i.e. the Council for Recreation and Sport and the two Municipal Councils) respectively. Therefore, no structural changes would be required. The Municipal Services Branch could continue to perform its function to the co-ordination, consultation and policy examination in relation to local recreation and sports affairs.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my opinion on the ‘Sport in Education' Report mentioned in 'The Way Ahead' Report, Section Five, Paragraph one in my capacity of member of Hong Kong School Sports Council
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as well as the Chairman of Secondary School Executive Committee, Hong Kong School Sports Association.
The present development of schools sports in Hong Kong is very successful. Take for an instance, as many as 22,500 secondary school students entered for various inter-school competitions organized by Secondary School Executive Committee, the HK School Sports Association for the year 1987–88, taking part in a total of 36,600 events. Among such multitudinous participants, there are certainly talented athletes. Unfortunately, local study and employment opportunities for young sports lovers as well as sportsmen who wish to take sports as their life career are really scarce. I would like to point out that an excellent recommendation is included in the 'Sport in Education' Report, which proposes that the Sports Science Degree Courses be offered at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Polytechnic respectively, (Actually, similar courses should be introduced at other degree-awarding institutions as well) However, the university should give recognition to the applicants' sports achievements during their secondary school and matriculation education.
Moreover, the Government should provide adequate job opportunities for the graduates of the proposed Sports Science Degree Courses, i.e. creating graduate PE teacher posts in secondary schools and also Recreational and Sports Facilities Manager posts in order to open a bright prospect for talented sportsmen so that they need not give up their ideals for material gains under the pressure of reality.
Madam Chairman, with these remarks, I second the motion.
MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in Cantonese):-Madam Chairman, I have read the Consultancy Report on Sport with keen interest, and in order to keep my speech brief, I shall start off right away by stating my preference among the four options put forward and elaborate further from there.
The existing Council for Recreation and Sport is already a de facto executive body in that its recommendations are invariably accepted by Government. However, it is primarily an advisory body and its terms of reference are limited.
I believe that the development of sport and recreation in Hong Kong has reached the stage when a statutory body on sport with executive powers should now be established. This is in accordance with the ‘Arm's Length' Approach, which is the fourth option stated in Chapter IX of the Report.
The way ahead would be for the Council for Recreation and Sport to be replaced by a 'Hong Kong Sports Council' as a statutory body, with wider terms of reference, and with executive powers, with its own staff, and operating on a budget supported both by Government and by the private sector.
Membership should be as representative as possible, and in particular the voluntary sports movement must be suitably represented by a proportion of