Hong Kong Sports Commissioner Huang Desen Resigns Due to Personal Reasons

Wong Tak-sen earlier went to Paris to support Hong Kong athletes competing in the Olympics. (Photo by Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau)

Sports Commissioner Huang Desen has resigned due to personal reasons and will leave next Friday (20th) without completing the three-year contract. It is understood that he is on leave until the day of his resignation. When asked whether the lack of a successor would affect preparations for the National Games, Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-kee said today (13th) that he respected Huang Desen’s decision and thanked him for his contribution to Hong Kong’s sports industry in the past year. Chen Guoji also said that the authorities are actively recruiting in accordance with established procedures and believe that it will not affect the development of sports in Hong Kong.

Yang Runxiong: Kai Tak Sports Park or National Games Work Not Affected

Yang Runxiong, director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, said that Huang Desen proposed to leave early due to personal reasons in early September. The current work is shared by the two chief assistant secretaries of the bureau. The bureau will arrange short-term appointments or long-term recruitment of replacement candidates to find a successor as soon as possible. Yang Runxiong stressed that neither Kai Tak Sports Park nor sports promotion and other work will be affected. As for the preparations for the National Games, the authorities have set up a coordinating office to carry out the work, and the progress is currently going smoothly and well.

Working as a Political Officer, it Feels Difficult to Handle a Large Amount of Documents

Reports quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that Huang, who was an athlete, had always wanted to promote reform in the industry, but after joining the government, he was unable to adapt to the government structure and civil service culture. The sports commissioner actually worked as a “administrative officer”, and Huang found it difficult to write and process a large number of documents. Huang probably resigned because he felt that he could not use his talents to the best of his ability. Some people familiar with the matter estimate that the government may no longer hire external personnel, but instead deploy administrative officers to take over.

Fok Qigang Hopes to Arrange for a Candidate Who is Familiar with the Sports Industry and Government Operations to Take Over as Soon as Possible

Fok Qi-gang, a member of the Legislative Council for Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publishing, responded that he respects Huang Desen’s decision and hopes that the other party will continue to use his experience to support the development of the sports industry in the future. He also mentioned that Huang Desen was a windsurfing athlete and coach. He also worked in different sports organizations and made great contributions to the development of Hong Kong’s sports industry. Fok Qigang hopes that the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau will arrange for candidates who are also familiar with the sports industry and government operations to take over as soon as possible, so that the development of the “five modernizations” of sports, that is, elite, professional, grand event, industrialization and popularization, can be accelerated.