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 Hong Kong competitors are in Brazil for the second test event at the
International Sailing Regatta in Marina da Gloria and with further
meets at the Olympic venue scheduled ahead of the Games, the
association had planned to store equipment there rather than ship it
back home.
A similar arrangement had been negotiated with London organizers
ahead of the 2012 Games but the Asians were knocked back by Rio
officials quoting them HK$1 million (about $129,000) for the
storage.
"I was surprised by the figure when I first heard it," Dennis Chau
Wai-keung, executive director of the Hong Kong Windsurfing
Association, told the South China Morning Post.
"Our plan was to leave our container there after the test event so
we could keep all our equipment, including a coach boat, and save on
shipping it all back and forth each time we go out there."
Chu said negotiations were ongoing but said if Brazilian authorities
refused to budge then alternative plans would be required.
One solution involved bringing all the equipment back on the long
journey to Hong Kong after each meet at a cost of around HK$150,000
($19,340) a time, he said.
Chu was hopeful of finding a solution, stressing the importance of
attending the other events planned at the Guanabara Bay venue ahead
of the Games next year.
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"It's very important to get used to the weather and sailing
conditions at the marina if we want to challenge for a medal next
year," he said.
"Now, we will have to discuss the matter with the Hong Kong Sports
Institute, as they are responsible for all training programs leading
to Olympic Games."
($1 = 7.7556 Hong Kong dollars)
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; editing by Sudipto
Ganguly)
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