The Leisure & Cultural Services Department will regularise the Pilot Scheme on Subvention for New Sports and launch the Subvention Scheme for New Sports (SSNS) in 2025-26 for application by eligible sports organisations.

The scheme is open for application from today until January 13, 2025.

The department explained that by implementing the policy measure relating to boosting sports promotion in the community as announced in the 2024 Policy Address, it expects the measure to support the long-term development of new sports.

It pointed out that the SSNS follows the pilot scheme’s modes of operation to provide subvention to local sports organisations for promoting new sports on a project base.

Each successful applicant sports organisation will be offered a maximum of $200,000 or 85% of the total eligible expenditure of the individual activity, whichever is lower.

The department made it clear that any new sport under application must be distinct from the sports or disciplines currently solely governed by national sports associations under the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China.

Additionally, it outlined that a sports organisation wishing to apply for the subvention must be a non-profit-making organisation with articles of association registered as a company limited by guarantee under the Companies Ordinance.

The applicant organisation must also be recognised by and affiliated to the international federation, Asian federation, regional federation or recognised by the General Administration of Sport of China, and have successful experience in organising sports development programmes of various levels and types with active public participation in the past two-year period of 2023 to 2024.

Applicant sports organisations will also need to provide a comprehensive long-term development and promotion plan, as well as relevant information on their competency in organising and arranging programmes.

A well-established governance structure with transparent and accountable policies should also be in place and widely recognised by the sports sector, the department added.

Priority will be given to the sports organisations that have never received subvention from the pilot scheme.

If applicant sports organisations have previously received subvention from the pilot scheme, the department said that it will take their past performance and records into consideration when vetting their applications.

For enquiries, call 2601 8756 or send an email to ssns@lcsd.gov.hk.