Siobhan Haughey's success in the water has inspired many of the SAR's young people to take up the sport, but there simply aren't enough public pools to go around, according to one expert.

A deputy chief executive of the Hong Kong Swimming Teachers' Association, Li Chi-leung, told an RTHK programme on Tuesday that a lack of swimming pools means many grassroots children are unable to participate in the sport because it's out of their families' financial reach.

"Parents want their children to learn look for swimming classes in the community, most of which are set up by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. But the department doesn't offer many classes, and during the winter there are very few classes," he said.

"If they sign up for private classes, it's very expensive to book a pool and private classes do have to make a profit."

Li said the government should build more indoor pools and keep them open all year round.

Haughey won bronze in the women's 200m freestyle final in Paris, becoming the first Hong Kong athlete to win three Olympic medals following her two at the Tokyo Games.