Edgar Cheung’s Olympic gold sparks call more investment in young athletes from Hong Kong Sports Institute chief
- Fencer’s triumph expected to inspire more young people to become top-level athletes
- Lam Tai-fai said he hopes more parents will support their children in pursuing their sporting ambitions
Lam Tai-fai, a former pro-establishment lawmaker and founder of the secondary school attended by Cheung, also said on Tuesday he hoped more parents would show support for their children if they wanted to pursue their athletic dreams – even at the professional level.
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Hong Kong celebrates Olympic win as Cheung Ka-long takes gold in fencing
While the government had increased resources to support the local sports sector, including an injection of HK$54 million towards the early phase of construction for new Hong Kong Sports Institute training facilities, Lam said more should be done in the coming years.
“I believe the number of full-time professional athletes will increase in the future, [so] training for young people needs to be stepped up,” he told a radio show on Tuesday. “Resources from the [government] should continue to rise, and there should not be a ceiling.”
Lam said he hoped more Hong Kong parents would support their children’s sporting ambitions given the increased recognition accorded to professional athletes.
