National anthem blunder: Hong Kong’s sports minister vows to continue funding for ice hockey athletes even if budgets slashed
- Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung makes assurance amid deepening row over national anthem blunder
- But ice hockey body says training and development will inevitably be affected, hopes to meet minister and sports federation’s vice-president soon
Hong Kong’s sports minister has pledged to continue funding for ice hockey players to attend international competitions and train, even if the government decides to cut their association’s budget as a penalty for a recent national anthem blunder.
Yeung said the Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association was asked to submit a report in a month’s time detailing plans to improve its governance, otherwise authorities might be forced to cut its funding.
“We don’t really want it to happen that we have to cut some of the budget for the group in the end. Ice hockey athletes need not worry about their funding as we are very supportive of them … They have been working hard and we greatly appreciate their efforts,” Yeung told a radio programme.
“We hope that the association will come up with some measures to improve their governance. But if we have to do it in the end, we will ensure that the athletes will be able to continue to participate in international competitions – also their training will not be affected.”
But Yeung stopped short of saying whether the government would cut the salaries of the association’s management, only vowing that funding for the group to promote its activities would remain unchanged as the development of sports was important to Hong Kong.
“Even if we need to cut the group’s spending, it won’t affect its promotional activities in the community. The government absolutely supports the development of sports in Hong Kong,” he said.
