Sports Development and Support Fund

Application Guidelines

The Association established the ‘Athletes Training Fund’ to support athletes in purchasing sports equipment, transportation and meals, as to raise their quality of training. In order to expand the funding scope and cover more beneficiaries, and more effectively utilize the ‘Paralympic Games Reserve’, the Association merged the ‘Athletes Training Reserve’ and ‘Paralympic Games Reserve’ to form the ‘Sports Development and Support Fund’, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Fund’, in April 2021.

The Fund on top of supporting current athletes in purchasing sports equipment, transportation and meals, will expand to include current and former staff members and retired athletes. The scope of funding will also cover participation in workshops, seminars and conferences related to Para sports and provide subsidies for medical examination expenses.

Target

Current Athletes　(Member of the Squad, Development Squad, Training Courses)
Current Staff Members　(Part-time Coaches, Physiotherapists, Classifiers, Technical Officials, and Assistants of the Squad etc.)
Retired Athletes
Former Staff Members　(Full-time or part-time staff who have served in the Association for ten or more years)

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Fund, the applicant must meet the following conditions:

Current Athletes

Demonstrate enthusiasm in one’s participating sport, and have continuous improvement in technique and performance;
Receive at least one year or more of systematic training, and will be assigned by the Head Coach to the Development Squad or above;
Athletes of the Squad and the Development Squad must meet the minimum training time per week according to the requirements of their participating sport, and the athletes of the Training Courses must have a minimum basic training time of six hours per week (except for when the Association fails to arrange);
Good discipline;
Not applicable to athletes who have received other sports subsidies and the total amount reaches HKD2,000 or more;
Recommended by the Head Coach.

Current Staff Members

Length of service must be ten or more years;
Recommended by the Head Coach/Executive Director.

Retired Athletes

Represented Hong Kong in the Paralympic Games, Asian Para Games or world championships;
Recommended by the Head Coach.

Former Staff Members

Full-time or part-time staff who have served in the Association;
Length of service must be ten or more years;
Recommended by the Executive Director.

Support Scope

Purchasing Sports Equipment/Goods for Training or Competition (Consumable or Durable)

Only current athletes can apply;
Not applicable to training or competition equipment that has been already been arranged to be purchased by the Association;
The definition of consumable or durable sports equipment/goods is determined by the Secretariat according to the durability and manufacturing materials of different sports equipment/goods;
Approved sports equipment/goods shall be purchased by the athletes themselves; the quantity and equipment/good models must comply with the approved content;
Applicants must provide sufficient quotations in accordance with the procurement guidelines set by the Association. For details, please contact Secretariat staff;
If after successfully obtaining funding to purchase durable sports equipment/goods an applicant withdraws from training within 12 months, one must immediately return all funding that has been issued by the Association.

　　　1.1　　　Consumable Equipment/Goods
　　　　　-　The same item can only be submitted at most once a year;
　　　　　-　The maximum subsidy for each application is HKD3,000. The Secretariat can make special consideration to increase the subsidy ceiling in response to the needs of individual applicants.

　　　1.2 　　　Durable Equipment/Goods
　　　　　- 　The same item can only be submitted at most once every three years;
　　　　　- 　The maximum subsidy for each application is 50% of the value of the equipment/good (the maximum amount is HKD10,000). The Secretariat can make special consideration to increase the subsidy ceiling according to the needs of individual applicants;
　　　　　- 　The applicant should bear the repair and maintenance costs of the equipment/goods.

Transportation and Meal Subsidies

Only current athletes can apply;
The applicant must be a person with no income;
Not applicable to athletes who are already receiving meals and transportation services from the Association;
The transportation subsidy is based on the public transportation fee to and from the training venue. The maximum round-trip transportation subsidy for each training is limited to HKD50. The maximum meal allowance for each training is HKD50. The maximum monthly application limit for each subsidy is HKD1,000;
The maximum subsidy period for each application is six months, after which one needs to apply again.

Medical Report Expense Subsidy

The medical reports from the annual physical examination, classification or medical testing required by the Association can be applied;
Applicants can only receive a maximum of three subsidies per year, with a maximum subsidy of HKD2,000 each time. The Secretariat can make special consideration to increase the subsidy ceiling according to the needs of individual applicants.

Subsidy for Participation in Workshops, Seminars and Conferences etc.

Only current athletes or current staff apply;
Applicants can only receive a subsidy once a year, and the maximum subsidy each time is 50% of the expenses for participating in workshops or seminars etc. (the maximum amount is HKD5,000). The Secretariat can make special consideration to increase the subsidy ceiling according to the needs of individual applicants.

Others will be considered by the Fund Panel based on the content of the application.

Application and Approval Procedures

The Fund accepts application throughout the year. The application result will be returned after 14 working days in writing to the applicant upon receiving the application;
Applicants must complete the relevant forms and submit to the Secretariat, and the General Secretary will review the application;
The Secretariat will submit the application approved by the General Secretary to the Fund Panel for final decision;
Outside of subsidies for transportation and meal expenses, successful applicants must submit all relevant receipts and original invoices to the Secretariat and receive the subsidy in the form of reimbursements;
The Fund is a scheme established by the Association under stable financial conditions. The Association may revise or terminate the scheme at any time in accordance with its financial situation without prior notice.

Sports Development and Supporting Fund Application Form
(Chinese version only)