“It was also revealed that the accommodation where Mr Kan and his family member stayed, except in one occasion, was provided by the host and did not involve the use of government subsidies.

“Having said that, use of government subsidy to accommodate any non-event related personnel was considered improper, appropriate action would be taken against HKIHA for such malpractice in accordance with the prevailing guidelines, including but not limited to adversely affecting the level of subsidy provided to the NSA in subsequent years.”

Why Hong Kong’s ice hockey players are feeling shut out

The city’s men are ranked 48th internationally, and the women 34th, with many members believing there is a disconnect between the association and players.

The Post has approached the HKIHA and Kan for comment, but they have yet to respond. The cultural services department confirmed it has received a number of complaints about the governing body on multiple issues.

Government officials also said there was no specific regulation against Kan running a local league, the Gold Club. Players who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity because of selection fears, say they were pressured into playing in this league if they wanted to represent the national team.

“Currently, there is no explicit regulations prohibiting NSA board members to operate a NSA affiliated club,” the department said in response to a Post query. “The NSAs, being independent entities registered under the Company Ordinance and are bounded by their Memorandum and Articles of Association/Articles of Association, their autonomy should be duly respected.

“That said, to avoid having an image of nepotism, NSAs were advised to maintain a fair and transparent system in managing the Association.”

The International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) rules regarding conflicts of interest, says a member association is in violation when it “may draw personal and/or professional gain or advantage directly or indirectly from a third party due to his own decisions taken in the fulfilment of his official functions”.

Why is China’s ice hockey team so bad?

Concerns may be raised, it continues, if those involved “may have, or appear to have, private or personal interests that detract from his ability to perform his duties to the IIHF with integrity in an independent, impartial and purposeful manner”. The rule adds: “Private or personal interests include gaining any possible advantage for the persons bound by this code themselves, their families, relatives, friends and acquaintances.”

It is yet to be determined if the code of conduct rule applies to Kan’s link to the Gold Club league, which documents, emails and signed letters obtained by the Post show he runs. The IIHF’s new president for Asia and Oceania, Aivaz Omorkanov – who recently ousted Hong Kong’s Thomas Wu from the position – was asked if he would address the issues facing ice hockey in the city.

“The IIHF would not interfere in any internal issues of an MNA unless there was a violation of the IIHF Code of Conduct,” Omorkanov said in an email.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department said it had received two complaints, in July and September 2021, from the same person about HKIHA training courses.

“Replies have been made to the complainant already,” the department said. “An advisory letter was also issued to HKIHA on the drawbacks identified and HKIHA was requested to improve the internal control so as to ensure the effective use of LCSD’s subvention.”

With regard to allegations of “bullying tactics in terms of choosing Hong Kong team members”, the department said there was no evidence to show the HKIHA was unfair in its selection of athletes.

However, the department said it urged the body to review and improve its athlete selection process, adding: “At the same time LCSD requested HKIHA to publish more detailed selection information on their website for public information. The LCSD will discuss with HKIHA further on the selection criteria to ensure players from different backgrounds getting a fair chance.”