Featured Report

 

Development Programme on Corporate Governance for National Sports Associations

Sport is currently developing rapidly in Hong Kong and different types of sports are involved. Hong Kong athletes have attained remarkable results in international competitions and individual sports are gradually becoming elite ones. In view of this, the government has increased the funding for National Sports Associations (NSAs) to help them nurture more sports elites in Hong Kong while maintaining and enhancing the local sports development.

With growing public concerns over the local sports industry, public expectations for the governance of NSAs (including integrity, transparency, fairness and accountability) are also rising. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has launched a development programme on corporate governance for NSAs to help them act in accordance with the principles of fairness and justice, maintain a high level of corporate governance, enhance management efficiency, and uphold good ethics to protect the interests of stakeholders and ensure transparent operations. Under the programme, there will be a series of seminars conducted by top executives from local professional, business and sports sectors. The programme aims to provide a platform for sharing latest information and exchanging views and experiences among NSAs.

Objective

The programme aims to enhance the commitment and involvement of NSAs to consolidate the foundation of sports development in Hong Kong through the establishment of effective leadership and proper governance. The programme is divided into two parts: seminars and the Outreaching Corporate Governance Training Programme (OCGTP). The goal is to help members of the executive committees, directors and management staff of the subvented NSAs to enrich their knowledge in corporate governance.

Seminars

Since 2017, the LCSD has organised a symposium and a series of special courses on “Governance, Leadership and The Future Development of Sports” for members of the Board of Directors and management staff of NSAs. The topics of these courses included the new Companies Ordinance, Directors’ Duties and Fiduciary Duties, Board Practices, Finance for Directors and Risk Management. The symposium aims to arouse participants’ awareness of their roles and responsibilities in strategic planning, director practices and risk management, thereby raising the level of corporate governance of NSAs and further promoting the development of sports in Hong Kong.

In order to encourage directors and management staff of NSAs to take part in the entire series of seminars, which consists of four modules, participants who complete all seminars will be awarded a certificate to recognise their participation.

Seminar Contents

Module 1	Module 2	Module 3	Module 4
The Companies Ordinance: Implications for Governance of National Sports Associations	Fiduciary Duties, Director’s Duties, and Sports Governance	Corporate Governance and Company Meetings of National Sports Associations	Finance For Directors of Non-Governmental Organisations - NSAs
• National sports association as a company limited by guarantee • Are you a “responsible person”? • Review of articles of association • Continuing obligations under the new Companies Ordinance • New duty of care, skill and diligence for directors • New provisions on member rights and general meeting • Road ahead: from company law to corporate governance	• International development of corporate governance • Companies Ordinance • The company and its board • Fiduciary duties and director’s duties • Corporate governance for subvented organisations • Case application	• Corporate governance principles • Types of directors and their challenges • Major forces shaping boardroom reform • Code on corporate governance practices • Practical functioning of the board • Skill-sets for board members • How to prepare for meetings and chair meetings • Evaluation of board performance	• Regulatory framework & directors’ responsibilities in the preparation of accounts • Uses of accounting in business management • Financial reporting & corporate governance • Accounting & internal control • Basic accounting conventions, standards and policies • Planning & budgetary control • Financial analysis for decision-making: investment and financing • Cash flow management • Performance measurement

OCGTP

To enhance the flexibility of services, the LCSD has launched the OCGTP for NSAs to arrange training time, venue(s) and content(s) according to their own schedules and needs. Training providers will arrange training for NSAs’ office bearers and management staff based on their needs. NSAs may also apply to the OCGTP for holding training activities during the annual general meeting, executive committee meeting or internal training.

OCGTP topics:

1. Understanding on Companies Ordinance for Directors: National Sports Associations
2. Fiduciary Duties, Responsibilities and Duties of NGO Directors
3. Corporate Governance and Company Meetings of National Sports Associations
4. Finance For Directors of Non-Governmental Organisations (NSA)
5. Overview of Risk Management
6. Cyber Crimes and Prevention
7. PR Crisis Communications and Best Practices
8. How to Deal with Conflict of Interest: Companies Ordinance
9. Managing Privacy Risk: Practical Application of the Data Protection Principles
10. Value Creation by Directors
11. Strategies for Enhancing Association Publicity and Image
12. Others: Customized topic (related to the corporate governance)

For programme details, please visit the following website.

For information about NSAs, please visit the following website: