HONG KONG—Competitive swimmer Jody Lee’s goal is to compete at the Paris Olympics in 2024, but with only two years left to qualify, Hong Kong’s months-long shutdown of swimming pools is making achieving his dream tougher. Pools and all other sports facilities, including tennis courts, golf courses, and gyms, have been shut since January—and for more than 13 months total since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Lee, 15, has been trying to keep fit by training in the ocean, braving red tides and currents, but the city closed beaches on Thursday, making it even harder to swim. The global financial hub’s blanket ban on sports is hitting thousands of athletes, residents, and businesses who depend on the sports and leisure industry for competitive glory, recreation, wellbeing, or profit. Residents and athletes alike are increasingly frustrated at what they see as inconsistent policy-making from the city’s government, which allowed …