I. Coach Recognition Programme

Nominations Now Open for the 2014 Coaching Awards

The annual Coaching Awards, which have been organised by the HKCC since 1993, are open for nominations from now until 31 December 2014. Nominations are encouraged from NSAs, Community Sports Clubs, District Sports Associations and other sports organisations as a way of showing gratitude to Hong Kong coaches for their tireless efforts behind the scenes. The awards are designed to recognise coaches’ contribution to sports from the grass roots to elite levels. The recipients will be announced at a Presentation Ceremony in April 2015.

The awards fall into six categories, all of which are expected to be keenly contested:

1. Coach of the Year Awards. This award is for coaches who best demonstrated the ability to improve the performance of an individual or team at the international level during the year.

2. Coaching Excellence Awards. This award is for coaches who led an athlete or a team to the 4-point level or above, as defined in the Coaching Awards 'Evaluation Criteria'.

3. Best Team Sport Coach Award. This is for a coach whose team had an outstanding achievement, as defined in the 'Evaluation Criteria'.

4. Distinguished Services Award for Coaching. This is for a coach who is judged to have made an outstanding contribution to coaching at the national and international levels for a minimum period of 10 years. A coach can receive this award only once every 10 years.

5. Coach Education Award. This award is for a coach who is judged to have made an outstanding contribution to coach education for not less than five consecutive years prior to the date of nomination. A coach can receive this award only once every five years.

6. Community Coach Recognition Awards. This is for coaches with valid coaching certificates who are judged to have made a special contribution to the coaching of athletes or teams in the community for not less than three consecutive years prior to the date of nomination. Multi-sport organisations can submit up to two nominations for two different sports. Coaches can receive this award only once every three years.

More detailed selection criteria can be found on the HKCC website at www.hkcoaching.com and on the HKSI website at www.hksi.org.hk.

II. Coach Accreditation Programme

The First Assembly of ‘Foundation Certificate in Sports Coaching Theory’ course inspire coaches with new insights

Following the launch of a new accredited Level 2 Qualifications Framework (QF) course, ‘Foundation Certificate in Sports Coaching Theory’ (FSC), by the Hong Kong Coaching Committee (HKCC) in late June 2014, a First Assembly was held on 7 July 2014 at the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) to show support for the inaugural batch of students including coaches, in-service personnel from the sports sector and ex-elite athletes. Not only did this inspirational assembly offer important new insights, it also provided an opportunity for participants to network with their fellow students and teachers, and share their expectations of the course.

Professor Frank Fu, MH, JP, Chairman of the HKCC, delivered a
welcome speech to the students in attendance. “I am very happy to see all of you sitting here today because it means that more professional coaches will be born upon completion of this course. Hong Kong athletes have been doing incredibly well in the past decade, but athletes alone cannot make this happen. Coaches are instrumental in leading athletes to reach ever-higher goals in the sporting arena. I hope all of you enjoy your learning here and make good use of your knowledge to help boost Hong Kong’s sporting results.”

Chan Kong-wah, Table Tennis Head Coach at the HKSI, was invited to share his hands-on coaching experience with participants. He emphasised the need for “coaches to-be” to equip themselves with comprehensive knowledge of a variety of sports-related topics to enable them to upskill the next generation of athletes through a comprehensive and science-based training programme.

In addition to Chan’s sharing, two participants, Yu Kwok-see, a part-time table tennis athlete at the HKSI, and Chan Wing–chuen, a registered basketball coach who currently works as the Sports Executive at the Hong Kong Basketball Association, also expressed their learning motivations and expectations of this course.

Yu said that she hoped to raise up a new generation of athletes upon completion of the certificate course. “Hong Kong table tennis players have made great progress over the past few years,” she said, “and I am eager to contribute my expertise by helping to identify and nurture young athletes.”

Chan Wing–chuen said that he was very interested to learn more about the psychological skills in the sports module. He believed that if players were strong in their mental game, they would be able to seize every single opportunity in the court and possibly reverse the situation when they were falling behind. “In addition to teaching basic skills, coaches should also be able to master a wide range of sports knowledge, which can help the players fully bring out their talent during competitions,” he said.

This new course will be most beneficial to those who are eager to upgrade their coaching effectiveness while uplifting their professional recognition through a validated programme under the Hong Kong Qualification Framework. Please visit the HKCC website to learn more about the courses on offer. Act now to ensure you don’t miss the next intake!

III. Continuing Coach Education Programme

To help prepare the local sports community for the new 2015 World Anti-Doping Code, which comes into effect on 1 January 2015, the Hong Kong Anti-doping Committee and the Hong Kong Coaching Committee co-organised an informative seminar on 14 June 2014 at the Olympic House.

Renowned anti-doping experts from overseas were invited to update the local sports community on the new Code, as well as offer insights on the latest developments in anti-doping strategies.

Dr. M. Jegathesan, Chairman of the Medical Committee of the Olympic Council of Asia, provided an overview of the new Code. A successful sprinter in the 1960s and later a highly successful medical doctor and researcher, Dr. Jegathesan has been actively involved in the development of Sports Medicine and Doping Controls at an international level for the past 40 years. In his presentation, he explained how lessons learnt from past anti-doping efforts shaped the development of the new anti-doping strategies; and in particular, introduced the specific changes to the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code.

Mr. David Kenworthy, Chair of United Kingdom Anti-Doping (UKAD), also spoke at the event on the role of government in the fight against doping. Mr. Kenworthy has over 35 years’ experience in law enforcement, and was previously Chief Constable of the UK’s North Yorkshire Police Force. Prior to his appointment as the Chair of UKAD, he was also a member of the National Anti-Doping Organisation project board, which played an active role in shaping UKAD’s plans. During his speech, Mr. Kenworthy explained that the use of performance-enhancing drugs was no longer limited to athletes so the problem of doping should be tackled with the possible involvement of government and public authorities, including the need for legislation, investigation, intelligence sharing etc.

More than 300 coaches and representatives from the National Sports Associations attended the event.

IV. Community Education Programme

As part of the annual series of School Sports Programme, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) invited the HKCC to present lectures to over 200 students on the subject of coach education on 23-25 July 2014. Two HKCC Lecturers, Mr Kong Fung and Mr Thomas Chang Chi Ming talked on the role of coaches, coach accreditation procedure, coaches code of conduct and the coach education programmes currently available, including the Bachelor of Education in Sports Training (offered by Beijing University and administered by HKSI), and the newly QF accredited FCS course (administered by HKSI).

Through this informative and thought-provoking three-day event, the students gained an in-depth understanding of the coaching system in Hong Kong.

The Community Education Programme is an education programme presented by the HKCC to enhance public awareness of sports coaching and coaching qualifications, and plays an important role in supporting and nurturing individuals who are interested in sports coaching.

V. Coaches’ Corner: New Book Recommendations

An informative resource for all coaching professionals

Coaching Excellence by Frank Pyke, 2013, 253 pages

No single resource can convey everything that a coach needs to know and do. This book, Coaching Excellence by Australian author Frank Pyke, does the next best thing: it builds on the basics to provide a wealth of information so that readers can become more knowledgeable and adept coaches. Drawing on the experience and expertise of 18 renowned experts, the book offers inside knowledge, authoritative research and useful insights that any coach can apply in working with athletes, players and teams. In particular, it focuses on three main areas: firstly, the many roles and responsibilities of a coach; secondly, the role of core values in devising successful plans and methods; and thirdly, the application of sport sciences to enhance athletes’ fitness as well as their technical, tactical and mental skills.

This book is available at the Sports Information Centre, HKSI.