The Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme (JCAIAS) recognises those who earn glory for Hong Kong by achieving outstanding results in six major competitions including the Olympics and Paralympics. Today (19 Oct), the Club’s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung joined Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah, Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Institute Carlson Tong and Vice-President of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, Karl Kwok at the Presentation for Outstanding Hong Kong Athletes at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games under the scheme.
“On behalf of the Club, we’d like to extend our congratulations to athletes and coaches for achieving another outstanding performance,” Mr Cheung said. “The Club has been proactively supporting our elite athletes. Examples include supporting the construction of the Hong Kong Sports Institute and other initiatives launched last year, including projects to help athletes develop ‘a dual career pathway’. The Club has also supported training projects for coaches at the Institute.”
“The Hong Kong Sports Institute established the Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme in 1994,” Mr Tong said. “I would like to express my gratitude to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, on behalf of the sports industry and athletes, for its support for the scheme. Through this, athletes and their efforts are recognised in the community.”
The Trust has donated more than HK$18 million to the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) to support the Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme for three years. Cash awards are provided to those achieving outstanding performances at the six major games, namely the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Asian Para Games, National Games and World University Games. The amount awarded in relation to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is over HK$4 million. Twenty-five Olympic athletes receiving awards include cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze, who finished sixth in the women's sprint; table tennis players Ho Kwan-kit, Tang Peng and Wong Chun-ting who came fifth in the men’s team event; and Hong Kong's record-breaking swimmer in the women’s 200m freestyle event, Siobhan Haughey. The presentation for Paralympic athletes will be held later.
Cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze said, “I am grateful to the people of Hong Kong for their enormous encouragement and support, which gave me strength and confidence during my races. Most importantly, I am pleased to see that my experiences at Rio have encouraged Hong Kong people with a spirit of sportsmanship.” She also expressed her gratitude for the support of the HKSI and the Club, “The recognition from the Scheme is a great morale booster, which helps motivate athletes to strive for new heights and bring further pride to Hong Kong.”
Promoting Sports for All is one of three areas of strategic focus for the Club’s community contributions over the next few years. To promote a healthier and more energetic Hong Kong, the Club has long supported the building of sporting infrastructure and the professional development of Hong Kong athletes, so that they can showcase themselves on the global stage. Its total donations to the Hong Kong Sports Institute over the past 40 years exceed HK$700 million.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a not-for-profit enterprise dedicated to community betterment. Through its integrated business model of world-class racing, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charity and community contribution, the Club generates substantial economic and social value and assists the Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2015/16 the Club donated a record HK$3.9 billion to charity and paid a record HK$20.9 billion in tax. It is Hong Kong’s largest single tax payer and one of the world’s largest charity donors. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.
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The Cluba£á?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung says the Club has been proactively supporting elite athletes. Examples include supporting the construction of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, projects to help athletes develop a£á?a dual career pathwaya£á? and training projects for coaches.
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The Cluba£á?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (front row, 7th left), Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah (front row, 6th left), Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Institute Carlson Tong (front row, centre),Vice-President of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China Karl Kwok (front row, 5th left), with other guests and athletes at the Presentation for Outstanding Hong Kong Athletes at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games under the Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme.
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