News Release丨In addition to competition prize money, what other income do Hong Kong athletes get?
2024-08-14
한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina
Zhang Jialang at the award ceremony on July 29. On the same day, in the men's individual foil final of the Paris Olympic Games, Zhang Jialang, a player from Hong Kong, China, defeated Filippo Macchi, a player from Italy, 15-14 to win the championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
"How much is the appropriate income for professional athletes? This is a difficult question to answer around the world." On August 13, Hong Kong media Dot News published an article introducing the income situation of professional athletes in Hong Kong.
The above article states that the income of Hong Kong athletes depends on the professional level of the sport. If it reaches a professional level, such as professional boxing, tennis, and golf, athletes will participate in competitions around the world, and the appearance fees and bonuses are enough to support the expenses and life of the entire team. If it is not a professional sport, top athletes still need to receive continuous funding from the SAR government or society.
Among them, prize money from major events is a major source of income for Hong Kong athletes. For example, Hong Kong athletes who won good results in the Paris Olympics received prize money from the "Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Program" launched by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Among them, Zhang Jialang and Jiang Minhui won the gold medals in men's individual foil and women's individual epee respectively, each with a prize of 6 million Hong Kong dollars; He Shibei won two bronze medals in women's 100m and 200m freestyle, with a total reward of 3 million Hong Kong dollars; Huang Zhenting and Du Kaiqin won fourth place in the table tennis mixed doubles and received a total prize of 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars.
In addition to competition prize money, Hong Kong full-time athletes have other income. The above article introduces that the Hong Kong SAR government's support for athletes is divided into five levels according to ratings. The highest is elite training funding. "Elite A+" means those who can compete for medals in the Olympics, such as Zhang Jialang, Jiang Minhui, and He Shibei, with a minimum monthly income of HK$44,500. The lower the level, the less funding, and the fifth level is more than HK$7,000 per month. In addition to funding athletes, the SAR government also provides dormitories, use of sports venues, coaching teams, etc., so that athletes can train and compete with peace of mind without worrying about their daily lives.
The Paper reporter Wu Yi
(This article is from The Paper. For more original information, please download the "The Paper" APP)
