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100 outstanding coaches were awarded the Hongkong Bank Foundation (HBF) Coaching Awards on 22 April 2012 at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. The Awards programme recognises the valuable contribution of coaches to the Hong Kong sports community and pays tribute to their dedication and commitment. The coaching awards presentation ceremony has become a prestigious annual event in the local sporting calendar, and attracted about 250 guests this year.
In his welcome speech, Professor Frank Fu, Chairman of the Hong Kong Coaching Committee (HKCC) said, “The achievements and success of the athletes to a large extent are owed to the sincere and wholehearted devotion of their coaches, who always try very hard to ensure that their athletes are in peak condition. The Hongkong Bank Foundation Coaching Awards is therefore organised to provide a valuable opportunity to pay tribute to dedicated coaches who have made exemplary achievements.”
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Kathy Wong, Secretary of the Advisory Committee of the HBF also commended awardees for their effort and enthusiasm. She said, “Behind every great athlete there is a great coach. Coaches are great people who provide the sound advice, constant support and encouraging words. With their devoted efforts and contributions, coaches should also get the recognition they deserve.”
Coaches were honoured in six categories: the Coach of the Year Awards, Distinguished Service Award for Coaching, Coach Education Award, Best Team Sport Coach Award, Coaching Excellence Awards and Community Coach Recognition Awards.
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For the Coach of the Year Awards, a total of six coaches were being awarded. In the senior athletes category, the individual sport award went to Gao Song (Wushu) and Kam Chi-ho (Swimming, athletes with intellectual disabilities), and the team event award went to Li Hui-fen (Table Tennis) and Wang Rui-ji (Wheelchair Fencing).
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Coach Gao led his senior athletes to win nine medals at the 11th World Wushu Championships, Coach Kam’s Swimming team came home with 12 medals from the 3rd INAS-FID Global Games, Coach Li’s Table Tennis team won two bronze medals at the World Table Tennis Championships and another bronze at the Women’s World Team Cup, and Coach Wang’s wheelchair fencing team took two gold and a bronze medal at the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing World Championships. |
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In the junior athletes category, Wong Chi-kwong (Wushu) won the individual sport award, and Leung Kan-fai (Squash) won the team event award.
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Coach Wong’s Wushu team won three gold and four silver medals at the 6th Asian Junior Wushu Championships while Coach Leung’s girls’ Squash team won a gold medal at the 15th Asian Junior Team Squash Championships and a bronze medal at the World Junior Women’s Championships.
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The Distinguished Service Award for Coaching went to Shen Jin-kang (Cycling) for his dedication to the Hong Kong cycling team since 1994. He has nurtured many world-class athletes including Chan Chun-hing, Kwok Ho-ting, Lee Wai-sze, Wong Kam-po and Wong Wan-yiu who have achieved outstanding results at Major Games and international competitions over the years.
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The Coach Education Award went to Claudius Lam, Vice President (Technical) of the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association. Mr Lam has shown continuous devotion to the sport over the years and has been involved in coach education since 2001. He had also helped develop a systematic coaching system and a series of coaching materials and manuals.
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Rugby coach Dai Rees won the Best Team Sport Coach Award again this year by leading the Hong Kong team to get a silver medal at the seven-a-side Asian Sevens Series in Shanghai.
72 coaches whose athletes or teams had outstanding results at international competitions received the Coaching Excellence Awards, and 26 coaches received the Community Coach Recognition Awards for making a special contribution to community sports for at least three consecutive years.
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The Hong Kong Canoe Union was presented with the Most Supportive National Sports Association Award for the HBF Coach Accreditation Programme for nominating the largest number of coaches enrolled in the Coach Accreditation Programme (CAP) in 2011/12.
Officiating guests were Tsang Tak-sing, Secretary for Home Affairs; Vivien Lau, Vice President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC); Carlson Tong, Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI); Kathy Wong and Professor Frank Fu.
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