Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong Man-wai started her first day of work with the non-profit Hong Kong Jockey Club by joining more than 80 students on a mentorship tour to the mainland Chinese city of Hangzhou.
She was joined for Sunday’s tour launch, organised by the club under the city government’s “Strive and Rise” mentoring programme, by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki and labour minister Chris Sun Yuk-han.
Shortly after Kong’s return from the Paris Games on August 1, the club announced the 30-year-old épéeist would work for the organisation as its assistant external affairs manager.
Raymond Tam Chi-yuen, the club’s executive director for corporate affairs, said the charity had received her job application in February and made her an offer after a lengthy interview process.
“We found that she is a very suitable talent that can take up this role, but it was only after she finished the Paris Olympics that she made up her mind to join us,” Tam said during the trip launch.
The gold-winning fencer also shared why she accepted the job since the club announced her hiring last week.
“I want to give back to society and learn more about how to create a better world by joining the Jockey Club,” Kong said.
The fencer politely deflected questions on security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung’s descriptions of critics of a master’s thesis she had written at university as nitpicking “villains” who were “brainless”, saying: “As an athlete, I worked really hard to train and make Hong Kong people proud and win results and unite everyone, so that we can enjoy sports.
“Now that I am lucky enough to join the Jockey Club, I hope that I can use my platform and the power of sports to unite everyone.”
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Hong Kong’s ‘fencing queen’ Vivian Kong returns home after winning Olympic gold
Hong Kong’s ‘fencing queen’ Vivian Kong returns home after winning Olympic gold
The club’s Tam said Kong’s academic paper was “not a matter of concern” when it came to her position and career with the charity.
“A thesis with the purpose of graduating for a master’s degree will remain as a thesis, no more and no less than that,” he said.
The trip will see more than 80 students head to Hangzhou for five days of learning activities and exchanges under the government’s mentorship programme.
Chief Secretary Chan, who supervises the Strive and Rise programme, and labour minister Sun will join the students for part of the trip.
The itinerary includes visits to West Lake in Hangzhou, local innovation and technology companies, tertiary education institutions and museums, as well as cultural events.
The club said students would learn about Hangzhou’s cultural heritage and technological achievements, in addition to its technical support for equestrian events at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022.
“We thank the Hangzhou government for making this arrangement for our Strive and Rise programme and we hope that in the following days, mentees will be interviewed on their experiences on this trip,” Tam said.
The programme is designed to help lift underprivileged Hong Kong pupils out of poverty through eight targeted aspects such as fostering financial planning skills, self-confidence and a sense of belonging.
The first round of the initiative – a collaboration between the government, the business sector and the community – enrolled 2,800 Form One to Three students, mostly those living in subdivided flats, in a bid to boost social mobility.
