Some lucky Hong Kong fans received personal coaching from table tennis champion Chen Meng during a match against legend Ma Long and teamed up with shooting medallist Sheng Lihao for a badminton challenge as part of an event where mainland Chinese Olympians showcased their skills.
The team of visiting Olympic champions turned up to a full Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai on Saturday, where they put on a show in a variety of sports such as table tennis, badminton and gymnastics.
Their flawless moves, techniques and skills prompted frequent applause and cheering from fans who were eager to see the stars in person.
The table tennis medallists received the loudest applause and cheers. Ma, who has bagged six Olympic gold medals in his career, was the fan favourite.
The captain of the Chinese table tennis team took the stage with Hong Kong Olympian Wong Chun-ting to play in a five-point game, with the pair performing a lighthearted showcase of trick shots that thrilled the crowd.
A lucky spectator was invited to try a few shots with Ma. The woman, who said she never played table tennis, was given a step-by-step tutorial by women’s singles champion Chen.
Ma said he enjoyed the three-day trip to the city and appreciated the enthusiasm from Hongkongers, while encouraging young players to keep going and enjoy the sport.
“I hope they will keep going and enjoy the happiness that table tennis brings to them,” he said.
Teammates Chen and Wang Manyu, both women’s team champions, and gold medallists Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong, also participated in fun matchups against local athletes.
“The result of the Paris Olympics is perfect. Now I want to enjoy the time visiting Hong Kong,” Fan told the audience.
Besides the table tennis champions, other mainland Olympians also won the hearts of spectators with their techniques as well as their efforts to interact and engage with fans.
Two spectators were selected from the audience to team up with badminton mixed doubles champions Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, before shooting medallist Sheng Lihao replaced Zheng to try his hand at badminton.
Sheng, who won the men’s 10m air rifle gold and the mixed 10m air rifle team gold at this year’s Games, drew applause and laughter from the audience with this awkward footwork.
The display even became a trending topic on mainland social media platform Weibo.
“He is like a glitching robot,” joked one internet user. “His four limbs are busy in their own ways.”
Gymnastics champions Liu Yang and Zou Jingyuan also represented their sport during the event.
Zou praised and encouraged young local athletes who displayed their own gymnastic skills in front of the Olympians.
He described his Hong Kong trip as similar to a homecoming: “It’s like returning home, unlike during the pandemic when there was a distance.”
Weightlifter Li Fabin, the men’s 61kg champion in the Paris Games, said the experience of constantly improving kept him happy during in his two-decade-long career.
“Doing one thing for such a long time can be boring, but when I push my limits, I improve my performance, break records and win the championship. It gives me great happiness, and happiness is my motivation,” he said.
Sports fans and enthusiasts said they were impressed and inspired by the Olympians’ performance and their words of encouragement.
Engineer Keith Cheung, 50, and his nine-year-old son Karson said they were amazed by the athletes’ skills.
“I love the lively atmosphere and the athletic performances are encouraging,” said Cheung, a fan of table tennis legend Ma and gold medallist Fan.
His son Karson said he had been learning to play table tennis and badminton, and watching stars such as Ma and doubles champion Zheng playing at the stadium served as motivation.
“I have learned about perseverance from the champions,” the boy added.
Yan Yuqing, a sports fan from Shenzhen, said: “I am impressed by Ma Long’s backhand shot and I really like the moment when Chen Meng instructed the fan to play. The performances by Hong Kong young gymnasts are also impressive.”
Athletes who were absent from the demonstrations, including table tennis world No 1 Sun Yingsha, butterfly queen Zhang Yufei and weightlifter Li Wenwen, attended a separate event at the Hong Kong Metropolitan University on Saturday morning.
“Wearing my national team jersey, I realise the national flag on the chest is more important than my name printed at the back,” Sun said in a speech.
Additional reporting by Leopold Chen
