Dear Sir/Madam,
The petition to include Lee Ka Ho of Kowloon Bowling Green Club in the 2012 Hong Kong Squad has been reported at the Council Meeting held on Monday, 18 June 2012. It has been reported by the President at the Council Meeting. The Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association will take no further action on this matter.
The Hong Kong Squad qualification process as promulgated in the Association’s bye-laws is an open and well-understood system which has served the sport well. The Bowler Ranking system which decides the eligibility of bowlers to be members of the Hong Kong Squad is well publicized in the Association’s bye-laws as posted on its public website.
The 2012 Hong Kong Squad which was selected based on the bye-laws has been sanctioned at the Council Meeting in May 2012. The Association has no ground to make an exception of the bye-laws and to deviate from the current practice in order to include an individual in the Squad based on popularity.
It is relevant to note that the Association was recently invited to attend a seminar on “Best Practice Reference for Governance of National Sports Association – Selection of Athletes” presented by the ICAC and LCSD. All NSA were reminded to have fair, just and open selection criteria for their Hong Kong China teams. The System adopted by the HKLBA in these respects is in line with ICAC and LCSD’s recommendations.
That said, the Association recognized the contribution that Lee Ka Ho has made to Hong Kong lawn bowls particularly with regard to his recent achievement in the Asia Lawn Bowls Championship last April. The Association wishes Lee Ka Ho the best of luck in his future endeavour in national championships and would welcome him back to the Hong Kong Squad in the earliest possible instance.
On the other hand, the Association needs also to recognize the success of other bowlers had achieved in the past three years in order to reach the top of the bowler ranking list to qualify for the Hong Kong Squad.
The Association is constantly reviewing the squad system and is open to any suggestions that can make the process an even better one.
Last but not least, as a matter of courtesy and for the sake of keeping a good record of official communications, please note that all correspondences should be named and signed and sent via your Club convenor.
Yours faithfully,
Heron Lau
Vice-President of Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association