Boosting and reviving the academic standard and atmosphere of Hong Kong's mathematics and the sciences, and fully supporting the hosting of international mathematics competitions (2013/12/18)

President, I have to make a declaration before all else. The company for which I am working may bid and submit quotations for the reception of the 57th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

President, as an internationally renowned city, Hong Kong should regularly organize various events and activities to give publicity to its image as a cosmopolis, and allow people from all parts of the world to experience our ability to co-ordinate and plan international events and public relations receptions, which will be directly helpful to our tourism and retail sectors. Over the years, the Government and the relevant organizations have spared no effort in striving for the hosting of some high-level professional events in Hong Kong. With the support and co-ordination of various sectors of the community, evident results have been achieved. 

Hong Kong is going to host the IMO in July 2016. This is the highest level high school mathematics competition recognized internationally, and one of the most influential academic competitions in the world. In 2016, it is expected that more than 1 000 contestants and their accompanying staff from over 100 countries will come to Hong Kong. The IMO to be held in Hong Kong will be widely reported in the international media, which will help enhance the international image of Hong Kong, our academic status and popularity, and the charm and hospitality culture of Hong Kong will leave a deep impression on the participants, the contesting students and their parents. By hosting this event, we can also convey to Hong Kong students and parents a positive message concerning the mathematics subject and boost the atmosphere of attaching importance to learning mathematics. This will have positive impacts on Hong Kong in various aspects, especially the schools, in the short, medium and long terms. I hope the Government would invest resources into the competition and be a hospitable host, so that the competition can be held smoothly, and I also  hope that the Government can make full use of this opportunity to give publicity to Hong Kong.

President, to make appropriate preparations for this event, I think that the Government should pay attention to the following issues:

First, the Government must be supportive. Experience in hosting similar events in the past tells us that it is difficult to rely solely on the host to achieve evident results. I agree with Mrs Regina IP that the previous competitions had impressive results because the host country generally invited heavyweight local people to be sponsors. The then Governor, Mr Chris PATTEN, was the sponsor when Hong Kong hosted the competition in 1994. If the Chief Executive can be the sponsor of the IMO this time, it will demonstrate the importance attached by the Government to the IMO, which will also be conducive to encouraging various parties to actively participate in and sponsor the competition. This competition will stand a higher chance of achieving success for various government departments will also strive to vigorously support it.

Second, the Government's expenditures must be practical and realistic. I remember that there were fund-raising difficulties when Hong Kong hosted the IMO last time and the Preparatory Committee once considered giving up hosting the event, which almost caused the project to be aborted. Mongolia was to host the IMO in 1980 but it failed to meet the competition expenses and the competition was suspended for a year. Learning a lesson from previous experience, now that Hong Kong is going to host this competition again, the Government should adhere to the spirit of living within our means, and try to compress the estimated expenses by all means, to avoid financial problems. The IMO is a competition for secondary students and an event for academic exchanges. Arrangements should be made under the principles of being professional, safe, quality and economizing. Since the excursions are mainly intended to let the contestants experience the local characteristics of Hong Kong, the reception activities should not be luxurious. 

The organizer estimates that around $20 million will be spent on the competition. Although the Education Bureau has agreed to sponsor the expenses on the opening and closing ceremonies and the production of medals, there is still a large financial gap. I agree that the Government should strive for sponsorship from various parties and assist the sponsor in applying for start-up funding under the Mega Events Fund, such that the sponsor can be given the capital and time to carry out mobilization and organization work in the future. 

Third, it is necessary to make full use of the resources of the community and the Government. As we all know, during the stay of the contestants and their accompanying staff from various countries in Hong Kong, they will inevitably participate in a variety of civic and tourism activities. The sponsor can utilize many existing resources if only it would take the initiative to do so. For example, the Government can try to request venue and ticket sponsorship from attractions with government investments including the Disneyland, Ocean Park, Ngong Ping 360 and the Wetland Park; the Leisure and Cultural Services Department can assist in organizing special performances such as Chinese opera and concerts; and the museums and exhibition galleries in Hong Kong can arrange for special exhibitions on the theme. If the Government can successfully garner the support of the parties concerned, it can reduce the costs of the organizer and the parties involved will actively co-operate for the publicity effects, which will be helpful to the conduct of the event.

President, I will support Mrs Regina IP's original motion, and I wish the mathematics competition every success.

I so submit.