Hong Kong Jockey Club gives city’s Asian Games 2023 medallists HK$32.5 million, with most to put cash towards training equipment
- Chief Secretary Eric Chan praises record haul of 8 gold, 16 silver and 29 bronze medals from two-week sporting event
- Fencing star Cheung Ka-long says cash prize, offered by Hong Kong Jockey Club under three-year incentive scheme, is ‘extra way’ to promote sports
The Hong Kong Jockey Club has awarded the city’s medal-winning athletes from this year’s Asian Games HK$32.5 million (US$4.2 million) in total, with most of them saying they will put the money towards buying better training equipment.
The athletes picked up their cheques at a ceremony on Sunday at the Sha Tin Racecourse, where Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki praised the record haul of 8 gold, 16 silver and 29 bronze medals from the two-week sporting event.
“The Hong Kong delegation in this year’s Asian Games was able to field the largest team ever and break the previous medal count,” he said. “This is not only due to the efforts of the athletes and their teams, but also reflects the correct direction of sports policies implemented by the government.”
Finishing on October 8, the Games took place in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province in mainland China.
The money is part of a three-year incentive scheme run by the club to help local athletes competing in major sporting events such as the Asian Games in Hangzhou and its corresponding Para Games, the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the 15th National Games in 2025.
Hong Kong medallists from the Asian Games each received between HK$250,000 and HK$2 million, depending on their medal and whether it was an individual or team event.
Addressing the ceremony, No 2 official Chan said the government attached great importance to the development of sports in the city. Authorities had allocated HK$860 million to the Sports Institute this year, with another HK$73 million injected into the Arts and Sport Development Fund to prepare athletes for the Asian Games, he said.
