The Training Subsidy Program for Elite Athletes is divided into different levels and categories (please refer to Table 1 and Table 2). According to the results obtained by the athletes and the number of required training hours, it is categorized into three levels and ten categories in total - Elite Level 1 (Professional Training Category A and B; Semi-professional Training Category A and B), Elite Level 2 (Professional Training Category A; Semi-professional Training Category A and B) and Elite Level 3 (Semi-professional Training Category A, B and C).

1. Eligibility:

1.1            Athletes must satisfy the conditions stated in Table 1 and Table 2 as well as comply with the requirements concerning athlete representatives of the Macao Team, which are stipulated in Paragraph 1 of Article 34 of Decree-law No. 67/93/ M “Regulations on Sports Activities in Macao” dated 20^th December;

1.2            Athletes who are registered with and are recommended by the relevant sports associations;

1.3            Athletes who belong to the training teams of the relevant sports associations.

2. Application Deadline:

2.1            First-time Application – application shall be submitted to the Macao Sport Development Board by the relevant sports association in writing within 30 days after the end of the award-winning competition event;

2.2            Renewal Application – the relevant sports association shall continue to apply subsidy for the subsidized athlete for the following year and the application deadline is 31^st October every year.

3. Selection Criteria:

3.1            Event results achieved by the athlete for the past two years;

3.2            The head coach’s analysis of the athlete’s current status and potential;

3.3            Execution status of training plan and of the expected competition objectives.

4. Required Information:

The relevant sports association shall include the following information when submitting the application in writing:

4.1            The recommendation letter from the relevant sports association (which has to be signed by the chairperson of the executive board and stamped with the official seal);

4.2            The head coach’s analysis and opinion of the athlete’s current status and potential;

4.3            The completed application form (which has to be signed by the chairperson of the executive board and stamped with the official seal);

4.4            Certificates or proofs (such as the official results) of the athlete’s achieved awards;

4.5            The athlete’s health certificate issued by the Sports Medical Center of the Macao Sport Development Board.

5. Amount of Subsidy, Duration and Appropriation:

5.1            Elite Level 1 Athletes: a monthly amount of MOP$8,000 to MOP$25,000 for individual events, and a monthly amount of MOP$5,000 to MOP$14,000 per person for team/ group events;

5.2            Elite Level 2 Athletes: a monthly amount of MOP$5,000 to MOP$15,000 for individual events, and a monthly amount of MOP$3,000 to MOP$8,000 per person for team/ group events;

5.3            Elite Level 3 Athletes: a monthly amount of MOP$1,500 to MOP$3,500 for individual events, and a monthly amount of MOP$1,000 to MOP$2,000 per person for team/ group events;

5.4            The duration of subsidy is one year, calculated on the basis of a calendar year. Application shall be submitted for the events one by one every year;

5.5            Subsidy is appropriated to the relevant sports associations once a year, which will then be supervised and distributed by such associations.

6. Conditions and Responsibilities:

6.1            The relevant sports association shall establish a year’s competition objectives with the subsidized athlete and his or her head coach, as well as jointly sign the proposal of training and competition objectives and the responsibility fulfillment agreement with the Macao sport Development Board;

6.2            The association shall establish mid- and long-term competition objectives with the subsidized athlete and his or her head coach, and submit them to the Macao Sport Development Board for analysis and review;

6.3            The sports association concerned is responsible for urging the subsidized athletes to participate in their group training punctually, as well as monitoring their attendance. The number of weekly training days for Elite Levels 1 and 2 athletes of the Professional Training Category shall neither be less than 5 days nor 25 hours. The number of weekly training days for Elite Levels 1 and 2 athletes of the Semi-professional Training Category shall neither be less than 4 days nor 15 hours, whereas the number of weekly training days for Elite Level 3 athletes of the Semi-professional Training Category shall neither be less than 4 days nor 12 hours. Besides, all the subsidized athletes under this program shall have an attendance rate of no less than 80% in the association’s training team for the whole year, and the relevant attendance rate shall be submitted to the MSDB;

6.4            The number of athletes participating in the team/ group program shall not be less than 50% of the number of award-winning members of the team;

6.5            The subsidized athlete is responsible for participating in local competitions held by the association, as well as representing Macao to participate in the international events of that year;

6.6            Every year, the association shall prepare an interim report and a year-end annual report on the subsidized athlete’s status of training and participation in competitions and submit them to the Macao Sport Development Board for analysis and review.

7. Suspension and Termination of Subsidy:

7.1            The subsidized athlete withdraws from the training team or retires due to personal reasons;

7.2            The subsidized athlete is absent from training and competitions without reasonable excuses;

7.3            The relevant sports association and head coach advise the Macao Sport Development Board to suspend or terminate the subsidy granted to the subsidized athlete.

8. Remarks:

8.1            The Subsidy Program adopts Asian Games events as the application standard. For non-Asian Games events, only 50% of the subsidy will be granted;

8.2            Athletes who were once subsidized may not be up to the standard for subsidy due to one of the following special reasons. However, after an application which has been signed and approved by the head coach is submitted by the relevant sports association, subsidy might be considered individually after the situation has been analyzed by the Macao Sport Development Board:

                 8.2.1     The Sports Medical Center of the Macao Sport Development Board certifies that the athlete cannot participate in training or competitions due to injury or illness;

                 8.2.2     Due to the cycles of major competition events (world championships, Asian Games, Asian championships, East Asian Games, world junior championships and Asian junior championships), no competition events listed in the attached tables herein are available for the subsidized athlete to participate in that year;

                 8.2.3     Subject to the condition of 8.2.2, the athlete must still join at least one Asian or international event of the same or similar standard, in order to prove his or her effort in participating in training and the effectiveness of improving his or her own technical standard.

8.3            For first-time application, subsidy will be calculated from the award-winning month, after the Macao Sport Development Board has reviewed and approved the relevant application;

8.4            If the subsidized athlete obtains better results in that calendar year, he or she can apply for adjustment of subsidy through the relevant sports association. The adjusted subsidy will be traced back from the award-winning month after approval;

8.5            The Macao Sport Development Board reserves all rights to approve and interpret the above program.

Table 1 Training Subsidy Program for Elite Level 1 and 2 Athletes

Table 2 Training Subsidy Program for Elite Level 3 Athletes