How to become an athlete or sports player
Official title: Athletes and sports players
Also called: Athlete, Bicycle racer, Boxer, Chess player, Footballer, Golfer, Hockey player, Jockey, Poker player, Racing driver, Skier, Tennis player
Athletes and sport players participate in competitive sporting events. They train and compete, either individually or as part of a team, in their chosen sport.
Main tasks
- Participating in competitive sporting events
- Participating in regular practice and training sessions and undertaking private training to maintain the required standard of fitness and skill
- Undertaking sports promotional activities and media interviews
- Maintaining a high degree of expertise in a particular sport
- Deciding on strategies in consultation with coaches
- Assessing other competitors and conditions at venues
- Competing in sporting events
- Adhering to the rules and regulations associated with a specific sport
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$27,000 a month
- About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
Do you need a degree to become an athlete or sports player?
Not always. 36% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of an athlete or sports player?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026