Hong Kong leader John Lee presents flag to National Games team, as cash awaits winners
Jockey Club announces cash incentives for city’s medallists, with top prizes being HK$750,000 for individuals, HK$1.5 million for teams
Hong Kong’s leader marked 25 days until the National Games by presenting the city’s flag to members of the 600-strong delegation that will go up against some of China’s best next month.
In a ceremony at Kowloon Park Sports Centre on Wednesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu handed the flag to Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui, who is the head of the city’s squad.
Highlighting the importance of the Games, Lee said in a post on his official Facebook page that co-hosting the multi-sport event alongside Guangdong and Macau would “showcase the cohesive strength of the Greater Bay Area”.
Lee added that the ceremony, where he was joined by Zhou Ji, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, was “a chance to cheer on” the members of the city’s delegation, who he hoped would “give their all and achieve excellent results in all their competitions”.
Separately, the Jockey Club has announced that Hong Kong athletes who win medals will take away a cash prize to go with the gold, silver and bronze they bring home.
As part of a long-running incentive scheme, individual success will earn city athletes HK$750,000 (US$96,500) for gold, with winning teams splitting HK$1.5 million. A sliding scale has silver valued at HK$375,000 for individuals and HK$750,000 for teams, with bronze at HK$150,000 and HK$300,000, respectively.