Hong Kong impresses at the 12th International Forum on Elite Sport By Gary Davies
By bringing together sport performance experts from around the world for five days in early December , the Hong Kong Sport Institute ( HKSI ) succeeded in accomplishing the main goal of the Association of Sport Performance Centres ( ASPC ): to share knowledge and exchange ideas throughout the global sports community .
One hundred and eighty-one attendees from 33 countries participated in the International Forum on Elite Sport held at the facility that sits just north of Hong Kong in the Sha Tin neighbourhood . On the first day , visitors were given a tour of the 41-acre site , originally established in 1982 . Since then , a series of expansions and redevelopments have taken place , the largest being a $ 1.8 billion renovation in 2008 . Attendees were one of the first visitors to the latest upgrade at the facility , a new multipurpose centre .
Among some of the many topics touched on were the effects of AI on the collection of sport science data ; the consistency of the challenges faced by sport performance centres around the globe ; why attention needs to be paid to emerging sports like surfing and breakdancing ; how we create a true athlete pathway program from grassroots to retirement ; and where the transgender athlete conversation is headed next . The forum was complemented by attendees having a chance to visit a world-class city and , for one evening , enjoy a multi-course Hong Kong dinner with their counterparts from around the world .
Helsinki will have big shoes to fill when the forum comes together again Sept . 29th to Oct . 3rd in the Finnish capital .
Gary Davies is the President / CEO Canadian Sport Institute Alberta
This was the 12th International Forum on Elite Sport since the ASPC was founded back in 1999 , and the HKSI did an excellent job in curating content that focused on the challenges and opportunities that sport performance centres will face in the future , while also sharing the specific ideas that have worked in the Asian market .