Hong Kong’s Olympic delegation were cheered by an adoring public as they toured the city in open-top buses and were feted as heroes by the chief executive at a reception on Wednesday, taking a victory lap after winning four medals at the Paris Games.
Some athletes also used the occasion to express hopes that the government’s coming review of its financial support system for sports talent would lead to higher subsidies, including covering entry fees for overseas competitions.
Among the dozen athletes joining the tour were gold medal-winning fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai and swimmer Siobhan Haughey, who took home two bronzes in the 100m and 200m freestyle finals. Fencing champion Cheung Ka-long, who also won gold, was absent and said to be travelling abroad.
Hong Kong sent 35 athletes to compete in 13 events at the Games, which ended on August 12.
Sitting on the upper deck of the buses, the athletes set off from the Hong Kong Sports Institute in Sha Tin, waving the Hong Kong flag as they stopped at Tai Wai station then Tsim Sha Tsui, Central and Admiralty. At times, Kong blew kisses to residents gathered on the streets.
As the buses passed by, fans shouted out the athletes’ names and yelled “ga yau”, or “add oil”, a Cantonese phrase of encouragement that roughly translates as “keep going”.
But on certain stretches of the route, the streets were empty, prompting some to question online why the event was held on a weekday.
Ming Chan, a 64-year-old retiree, travelled from her home in Kowloon Bay to secure a good spot in Tsim Sha Tsui at 9am.
“I came out today because I really appreciate the athletes,” she said. “They were able to have such excellent results on the competition floor through their hard work, and they were able to get a lot of glory for Hong Kong.”
Anson Lo, 10, received an autograph from Haughey, an alumna of her school, St Paul’s Primary Catholic School.
“The paper she signed has great sentimental value,” Anson said. “I will put it on my desk.”
At the reception at Central Government Offices in the afternoon, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu hailed the athletes as “heroes”.
“At this year’s Paris Olympics, Hong Kong athletes gave full play to the ‘can-do’ spirit … as well as the Hong Kong spirit of being proactive and rising above adversity,” he said. “Every one of you brought great results that uplifted the spirit of Hongkongers. Every one of you is a hero to our residents.”
Lee said Hongkongers could feel the resilience and determination of the athletes who had overcome injuries, pain and other obstacles.
“Your remarkable achievements not only prove that Hong Kong athletes are competitive internationally and have a strong fighting will but also demonstrate that you have the ability to compete on the international sports stage,” he said.
The leader said the government would continue to “spare no efforts” in nurturing sports talent and the review of subsidy schemes for athletes was expected to be completed by early next year.
In a video clip released by the government, Lee is seen talking with athletes during the meal, saying at one point that he recalled Olympic sailor Russell Aylsworth loved to eat cheung fun, or rice noodle roll, and that he had followed the news concerning the city’s athletes.
While the city’s top sports stars will enjoy millions of Hong Kong dollars from various companies and philanthropic groups, some of their entry-level colleagues struggle to get by with monthly funding that falls short of even what fast food workers make.
Speaking to the media at the reception, cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing said athletes might be more motivated if they could aim for a higher bracket of subsidies.
“It would be nice to have [a monthly wage of] HK$10,000 or above to support daily living expenses,” she said. “The career of athletes may not be long, hence they need a salary they can save up and change fields after retirement.”
She suggested increasing subsidies for athletes according to different grades instead of giving a standard amount to all.
“Standardising the subsidy amount would be a bit difficult because rising to a higher level is a motivation for us,” Lee said.
She added that while the cycling association could afford to pay for competition fees, she hoped other athletes would be given similar support amid suggestions that some had to foot the bill for taking part in overseas races.
Fencer Cedric Ho Wai-hang also said he hoped the government could increase its support for athletes.
“In recent years, the government has provided more resources for athletes,” he said. “I look forward to having [even] more resources from the government – that will make us happy.”
Tony Choi Yuk-kwan, chief executive of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, said a new subsidy mechanism following the review would take effect on April 1 next year.
He vowed the review would be transparent and take into account the breadth of the mechanism, amount of subsidies and conditions for matching funds, adding it would not be limited to a certain group of athletes.
The public will also have a chance to cheer for the nation’s Olympic team as members visit the city for a gala event and demonstration of skills next week. Tickets go on sale through Urbtix on Thursday.
Tickets will go on sale on Thursday for three public events in Hong Kong set to be attended by mainland Chinese athletes who competed in the Paris Olympics.
