The Leisure & Cultural Services Department today launched the Pilot Scheme on Subvention for New Sports.

The pilot scheme aims to provide more opportunities and choices for members of the public, and to encourage them to do more physical exercise by taking part in different sports. It was introduced based on the recommendations of the Comprehensive Review of Sports Subvention Scheme (SSS).

The SSS, administrated by the department, provides subvention to national sports associations and sports organisations.

The department conducted the comprehensive review in 2019-20, 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.

The Government introduced the pilot scheme, and a new funding mechanism, apart from the existing SSS, was devised to promote and support the development of new sports in the city.

The pilot scheme is inviting applications for subvention in 2021-22 until July 31.

Each successful application will be offered a maximum of $100,000 or 85% of the total eligible expenditure of an individual activity, whichever is lower.

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 the application submission.

It must also be the only organisation in the city recognised by and affiliated with the Asian federation, regional federation or 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.

The pilot scheme's advisory committee has been set up to steer the implementation, endorse the mode of subvention and provide advice on publicity and promotion.

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 about sports and have profound experience.

The department will oversee the implementation of the scheme.