'Two years is suitable to comply with new standards'

Sports sector lawmaker Kenneth Fok said that a two-year time frame is suitable for sports bodies to comply with new standards, adding that the National Sports Associations responded positively to the review report and governance code. The Sports Federation & Olympic Committee (SF&OC) of Hong Kong, China had earlier reviewed the operations and governance of 77 member associations across six key areas - board governance, integrity management, selection of athletes, management of coaches and umpires, administration of membership, and general administration - totalling 243 governance items. Speaking on an RTHK programme on Saturday, Fok, who is also vice-president of SF&OC, noted that nearly 60 percent of these items have been fully or partially implemented. He said that when it comes to selecting athletes, the criteria must be fair, just and open. "I think past performance or potential should account for the vast majority of the selection process for all athletes. The responsibility of the National Sports Associations is to write down clear requirements. For each competition, what goals do I hope to achieve and what athletes do I hope to select? Performance may account for 60 percent, and there may be other indicators that account for the rest of the percentage," he said. "The most important principle is that the athlete's performance cannot be buried and cannot be prevented by other factors or institutional factors from being able to perform to the best of their abilities." Fok also said that the code of governance recommends that sports bodies implement a maximum tenure and length of term of office an individual may serve on the Board of Directors, adding that the age should not exceed 70 or 75 years old. "Each sports association faces different situations. Their initial establishment or stage of development and the level of talent participation in their industry or sports field are different. If there's a hard-and-fast age set, it may not necessarily be the best for the development of the sport so it's important to leave room for flexibility," he said. The SF&OC initiated a review of its governance and operations following a 2020 audit report. The body had said that member associations failing to meet the new governance and operational standards in the two-year time frame may face penalties, including reductions in subsidies.