The Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee (SF&OC) of Hong Kong
was founded in 1949-50 and reorganised as a National Olympic Committee (NOC) in
1951. It changed its name to 'Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong
Kong, China' on March 8, 1999. The Federation is a member of the International
Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Council of Asia and the Association of
National Olympic Committees and has been responsible for organising Hong Kong's
participation in all major multi-sports games such as the Olympic Games, Asian
Games, Asian Indoor Games and East Asian Games. With a membership of 74
national sports associations (NSAs) and sports organisations, it represents the
collective voice of the Hong Kong sports community.
Members of the Federation are NSAs, which are in turn affiliated to their
International Federations (IFs) and Asian federations (AFs). They are empowered to
coordinate and conduct a wide range of activities related to their sports, from
organising sports and recreational programmes for beginners to training elite
athletes. They also organise and sanction participation in local and overseas
competitions and tournaments and train coaches and referees. NSAs implement and
enforce local and international rules and regulations, and they represent Hong Kong
in meetings of the IFs and the AFs.
For half a century, the federation has coordinated a comprehensive four-month
Festival of Sport. More than 70 of the festival's sporting activities were organised by
over 60 NSAs to promote sport for all. It also organises extensive educational
programmes for sports leaders, administrators, coaches and technical officials free of
charge, notably through the Hong Kong Olympic Academy which offers free sports
management and sport science courses and programmes.
With the support of sponsors, the federation organises the annual Hong Kong
Sports Stars Awards, the 'Oscars' of local sport, to recognise the achievements of top
athletes. The 2005 prize presentation was held in conjunction with the federation's
annual spring dinner in February 2006. Award winners included table tennis star Ko
Lai Chak and Li Ching who won the silver medal of the men's doubles at the Athens
Olympic Games — a first for Hong Kong.
Since December 2004, the federation had been entrusted by the Government to
manage Sports House, which was renamed Olympic House following the official visit
to Hong Kong in July 2005 of International Olympic Committee President, Count
Jacques Rogge. Olympic House is located next to the Hong Kong Stadium. The
building now houses the President Office, Secretariat of the Federation and 46 sports
organisations, including NSAs and local clubs — all under one roof, the hub of sports
administration in Hong Kong.
It is also important to note that Hong Kong sports has entered a new era after
being approved by the International Olympic Committee as the host of the 2008
Olympiad Equestrian Events at the 117th IOC Session held in Singapore on 8 July
2005. Hong Kong's preparation for hosting the equestrian events for the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games kicked off with the formation of a high powered Equestrian
Committee (Hong Kong) of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the
XXIX Olympiad (Equestrian Committee), with the Honourable Timothy T T Fok,
SF&OC President, as the committee vice-president, and Mr Pang Chung, SF&OC
Honourable Secretary General, as a committee member and a co-chairperson of a
coordination committee (on cultural activities, education and community
involvement) under the Equestrian Committee which is headed by the Chief Secretary
for Administration.
Furthermore, the official handover of the East Asian Games Association
Secretariat to Hong Kong in February 2006 symbolised another big step forward for
Hong Kong in the run up to organising the 5th East Asian Games in 2009.
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