With the closing of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Chief Executive John Lee expressed his heartfelt congratulations to the Hong Kong, China Delegation’ athletes on their performance and historic achievements and thanked all sectors of the community for its strong support for the athletes.
 
Apart from noting that Hong Kong's athletes demonstrated extraordinary capability at the Paris Olympic Games and achieved historic results by capturing two gold and two bronze medals in four sports events, Mr Lee highlighted the fact that this is the first time Hong Kong has won more than one gold medal at the same Olympic Games.
 
“Every Hong Kong athlete has given their utmost and unleashed their full potential in the Olympic arena,” he said, adding that irrespective of the results, the athletes had fully exhibited their determination, perseverance and will, demonstrating their professional attitude and sportsmanship.
 
“The people of Hong Kong and I are deeply inspired and moved. The people of Hong Kong are proud of the high level of performance shown by Hong Kong athletes, and each and every one of them is a hero in our hearts.”
 
The Chief Executive pointed out that Hong Kong athletes’ outstanding performance at this year's Olympics was thanks not only to their efforts, but also to the dedication and meticulous training efforts of coaches and support teams as well as the support of the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China and various national sports associations.
 
He also thanked the local universities and research and development teams for their scientific research achievements which helped to enhance the athletes’ performance.
 
The Chief Executive’s Office stressed that the Government has been proactively allocating resources to develop elite sports in the past decade or so to ensure the provision of the best training facilities for athletes.

In addition, it stated that the Government will continue to provide more sports facilities, including converting an existing sports centre into a dedicated venue for fencing training and competitions, and expediting the study on the construction of an arena with fencing training and competition facilities as well as a swimming pool suitable for hosting international competitions.
 
The Kai Tak Sports Park, the largest sports infrastructure project in Hong Kong's history, will open in the first half of 2025 and support the city’s sports development in a more comprehensive manner, the Chief Executive’s Office indicated.
 
In 2024-25, the Government's annual funding for the HKSI through the Elite Athletes Development Fund amounted to $941.6 million, representing an increase of about 40% over five years ago. The Government's estimated expenditure on sports development in 2024-25 is around $7.9 billion, which has more than doubled compared to a decade ago.
 
Mr Lee said: “Over the past two weeks, the people of Hong Kong have been fully engaged in various events of the Olympic Games, cheering for athletes at home, Olympics Focal Sites and shopping malls with solidarity.
 
“The good performance of athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games has injected new impetus to Hong Kong's sports development and encouraged more enterprises and members of the public to support Hong Kong athletes, creating a positive social atmosphere and motivating more people to exercise.”

The Government will continue to support sports development in Hong Kong in terms of policy, facilities and resources, he noted.
 
The Chief Executive emphasised that a number of important sports events will take place shortly, including the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games in late August as well as the 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games to be co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau towards the end of next year.
 
“I am confident that various sectors will continue to support Hong Kong athletes to shine in the competitions, demonstrating the indomitable spirit of Hong Kong," Mr Lee added.