Free Olympic broadcasts will motivate players: coach

The head coach of Hong Kong's table tennis team, Li Ching, on Tuesday said he's thankful for the government's purchase of broadcasting rights for the upcoming Paris Olympics, saying he's excited to have the opportunity to share inspiring sporting moments with the public. Li's women's team and singles players will be among Hong Kong athletes taking part in 15 events at the Games, while the SAR will take part in at least 12 events at the Paralympics. The coach told RTHK that athletes need recognition and they'll be glad to receive support for their efforts. Li, who was an Olympic silver medallist in 2004, said he thinks the broadcasts on the SAR's free-to-air TV stations will motivate players, rather than putting them under more pressure. "In the past, the players were still under pressure to perform, regardless of whether there were live broadcasts, free broadcasts. It's always there," he said. "So when there are more people watching, or more of our own people are showing an interest, players will be more motivated. They'll play even harder." Li added that he thinks watching sports can greatly contribute to social harmony, and he looks forward to having more sporting events for people to watch at no cost. The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) and the China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee both expressed their full support for the government's move, with both stressing they'll make use of social media for updates like competition schedules. The SF&OC said the administration's purchase of the rights allows greater flexibility to broadcasters and makes it more convenient for the public to cheer for athletes from the national and Hong Kong teams. The Paralympic Committee, meanwhile, said it thinks the move will further boost the development of local para sports. The associate head of Baptist University's sports, physical education and health department, Patrick Lau, said that with the government paying for the rights, broadcasters should be able to focus their resources on producing more attractive programmes for the tournament. "If we have more hope for our Hong Kong team's achievements through our elite athletes, the public atmosphere will be further enhanced...more medals will help boost [public] sports participation," he told RTHK.