Recent medals set the tone for calls for sports promotion

The recent medals won by local athletes in this year’s Asian Games have prompted several lawmakers to take the opportunity to call on the government for more and better sports promotion.

At the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly (AL) in the period before the agenda, Wong Kit Cheng, Ma Chi Seng (with Kou Kam Fai), and Leong Sun Iok presented spoken inquiries on the topic, calling on the government to seize the opportunity just as local athletes have seen their efforts recognized and the population is proud and alerted to more intensive promotion of participation in sports in Macau from beginners to the professional level.

The lawmakers called upon the government to focus on timely and efficient use of land resources to build sports facilities for all sectors of the community to improve health, physical fitness, and wellbeing in general.

Wong also noted that good long term planning is necessary so that sports facilities are spread equitably across the city.

The same lawmaker also wants the government to “Strengthen support for the development of professional athletes” by improving the program of financial support to athletes as well as investment in training resources.

The goal, according to Wong, is that local youngsters with a talent for sports can choose to dedicate themselves to this without the fear that this choice will jeopardize their future in terms of career, income, and livelihood.

On the same topic, Ma and Kou in a joint inquiry called on the government to provide added support to school sports activities, as, in their opinion, this is the “main constituent of youngsters’ sports activities.”

The two lawmakers also want the government to promote high-performance sports in schools.

“Performance sport must be promoted in schools, in classes, and in physical education, to prepare well-rounded professionals, with moral, intellectual and physical qualities. It is necessary to take advantage of schools’ educational resources to resolve the conflict between studying and training athletes, and develop schools as cradles for excellent athletes, in favor of the development of sport in Macau,” they said. For the past few decades, however, the general opinion among professionals in the field has been that schools should create opportunities for the development and learning of all, and that clubs and associations be responsible for the attraction and further training of those more skilled and dedicated to sports.

The duo of lawmakers also mentioned the importance of the development of “tourism + sports” as referred to in the policy address from the government.

Over the years, Macau has hosted a large number of sports events and some international level competitions, but rarely participates in the organization of sports events in which local athletes and teams take part in the competition. The local athletes have been, in most cases, used as workers or, at the most, advisors.

Leong also alerted the government to the importance of community drivers in the promotion and training of sporting talent, calling on both the government and the major companies in Macau, particularly those linked with the gaming industry, to support the clubs and associations directly, a method used worldwide and commonly known as patronage.  This allows smaller clubs and sports associations to benefit directly from sponsorship instead of competing with others for a “slice of the big cake,” or government funding.

Election law for CE passed in first reading

Yesterday afternoon the Legislative Assembly (AL) passed the amendments to the election law for the Chief Executive (CE) in the first reading.

The law that had been mostly considered together with that for the election of the AL lawmakers has been separated out to accelerate the legislative process due to the impending election next year. The law did not raise many concerns or questions by the lawmakers, who mostly expressed their agreement with the provisions.

Some questioned precisely the timing of the law and the fast pace with which the government seems to be delivering it for lawmakers’ consideration and vote, with some saying that it would be beneficial to address it in a calmer and more careful way.

In the comments, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, André Cheong, justified the “rush” due to the timing of the elections which will take place next year, noting the process of public consultation and respective reports, which were also time-consuming.

Still, he insisted that the government hopes that this law will be finally approved by the AL “within this year” [before the end of 2023] “to allow enough time for the candidates for the election of the CE to get acquainted with the new rules and procedures.”