Pilot Scheme on Subvention for New Sports opens for application
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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) today (May 31) launched the Pilot Scheme on Subvention for New Sports to support the development of new sports in Hong Kong. The pilot scheme aims to provide more opportunities and choices for members of the public, and to encourage them to do more physical exercise through taking part in different sports.
The pilot scheme has been introduced based on the recommendations of the Comprehensive Review of Sports Subvention Scheme (SSS). The SSS administrated by the LCSD provides subvention to national sports associations and sports organisations. The comprehensive review was conducted in 2019-20 by the LCSD, and a wide range of recommendations and enhancement measures have been made to enhance the further development of sports in Hong Kong.
The report of the comprehensive review suggested that government funding should be provided for new sports, so that the public could have more opportunities and choices to take part in different sports activities. With this inspiration, the Government introduced the Pilot Scheme on Subvention for New Sports and a new funding mechanism, apart from the existing SSS, was devised to promote and support the development of new sports in Hong Kong.
The pilot scheme is inviting applications for subvention in 2021-22 from now until July 31. Each successful application will be offered a maximum of $100,000 or 85 per cent of the total eligible expenditure of an individual activity, whichever is lower. For details, please visit the LCSD webpage at www.lcsd.gov.hk/sns.
An applicant for the pilot scheme must be a registered non-profit-making organisation that has served as the sole governing body of the sport in Hong Kong for the past two years before the date of submission of the application. It must also be the only organisation in the territory recognised by and affiliated with the Asian federation/regional federation/international federation that is the sole federation representing the respective sport, and have successful experience in organising sports development programmes in the past two years.
An Advisory Committee of the Pilot Scheme on Subvention for New Sports has been set up to steer the implementation, endorse the mode of subvention and provide advice on publicity and promotion of the pilot scheme. The advisory committee mainly comprises members of the Sports Commission, the Community Sports Committee and the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China who are enthusiastic in sports and have profound experience. The LCSD will oversee implementation of the scheme.