Hong Kong’s elite athletes have enjoyed unparalleled success in recent years despite the difficulties they encountered as a result of the pandemic. The city won only its second-ever Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021, with fencer Cheung Ka-long sealing victory in the foil. Six medals were won at the event, the best yet. This was followed last year by an impressive performance at the Asian Games where a record haul of 53 medals was secured.

The success is, understandably, seen as a reflection of the increasing investment made by the government in elite sports, with funding for the Hong Kong Sports Institute rising to HK$863 million in 2023/24. Tony Choi Yuk-kwan, the new chief executive of the institute, which provides financial support, training and facilities for the city’s top athletes, has good reason to be optimistic about the year ahead, with all eyes on this summer’s Paris Olympics. But he knows the city’s recent achievements bring pressure to perform and has sought to manage expectations.

Many challenges lie ahead. There is a need to improve the training, facilities and opportunities available to Hong Kong’s talented young athletes. And while attitudes towards sport have improved, a sporting culture of the kind seen in other parts of the world is yet to emerge. New ideas and new blood will be required.

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With higher levels of investment comes a greater need for transparency and accountability. The public is entitled to know whether it is getting good value for money. There is room for debate about the criteria determining which sports receive funding, which has not changed since 2013. Some flexibility is required, in light of the disruption caused by the pandemic, but the continued support of some underperforming sports needs to be justified and explained.