Code of governance released for sports association covering athlete selection and board tenure

The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) on Wednesday released the Code of Governance to the member sports associations to improve the governance level and operational transparency covering mechanisms for athlete selection as well as qualification and registration of coaches and umpires.

This comes after SF&OC reviewed the operation and governance of 77 member associations in six major areas -- board governance, integrity management, selection of athletes, management of coaches and umpires, administration of membership, and general administration -- totaling 243 items of good governance. 

It said that almost 60 percent of the items have been fully or partially implemented.

After analyzing the data and consolidating the views from the members, SF&OC established the Code of Governance to outline the requirements for mechanisms for athlete selection, qualifications and registration of coaches and referees, and complaint handling procedures.

That included member associations should set up the maximum tenure and length of term of office a person may serve on the Board of Directors, and the age limit should be not older than 70 or 75.

As for the athlete selection, the Code noted that if unexpected and unprecedent incidents occurred to an athlete during the selection process, the associations should allow the athlete an opportunity to display their competency for fair judgment on their skills, as well as provide them with an avenue of appeal.

In cases where the athletes have notable potential or skills of attaining standards of high-level games but are unable to fulfill specific selection criteria, such as being members of affiliated clubs that are not entitled to nominate, the Code said the relevant sports associations should consider relaxing entry requirements, selection criteria or setting up a system to cope with such exceptional situations.

The Code also asked the sports associations to establish and maintain a database of registered coaches and umpires to ensure timely updates and to publicize the lists for general information.

SF&OC said the member associations have two years to implement the Co?de, after which it will issue certificates to compliant associations in 2027. Members who fail to receive certification may face funding suspensions from the government.