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Equal Opportunities Commission
OpinionComment
Ricky Chu Man-kin
Ricky Chu Man-kin

Opinion | Hong Kong must learn the Olympic lesson of valuing diversity, inclusion and solidarity

  • The Olympic Games demonstrate that talent, skills and sportsmanship are not bound by race, colour or ethnicity
  • Instead of seeing diverse minority racial groups as a burden, Hongkongers must recognise that they enrich society

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The Refugee Olympic Team’s delegation walks in the athletes’ parade at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 23. Photo: AFP
Ricky Chu Man-kin
As I sat glued to the television watching the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, the words of Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee president, struck a strong chord with me. The speech was peppered with words like “solidarity”, “equality”, “respect” and “diversity”, words that I often use in my speeches as head of Hong Kong’s equality body.
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It gave me pause as I contemplated the magnitude of the event and its border-breaking achievement in bringing together the entire world, not just as participants but also as audience and viewers.

Whichever country you may belong to, you may find yourself rooting for a team from a completely different continent, a people you may have no connection to. The power of the games is immense.

Sports has often been seen as a great equaliser. The Olympics is the ultimate testament to that. Athletes are respected for their talent regardless of where they are from, their ethnicity and the citizenship they hold.

An insightful moment from the opening speech was Bach’s special welcome to the Refugee Olympic Team. “Dear refugee athletes,” he said, “With your talent and human spirit, you are demonstrating what an enrichment refugees are for society. You had to flee from your homes because of violence, hunger or just because you were different. Today, we welcome you with open arms and offer you a peaceful home. Welcome to our Olympic community.”

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Inside the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony

Inside the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony
Do we, as a society, show enough appreciation for the ethnic minorities, no matter how long they have been here in our city? Even though the Race Discrimination Ordinance protects everyone, regardless of where they came from, against race discrimination and harassment, it does not prevent the micro-aggressions, bias and prejudice they face daily.
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