Paralysed Hong Kong rock climber up against Federer, Nadal and others for international sports award

Lai Chi-wai nominated for Laureus World Sports Awards best sporting moment of the year for being first wheelchair-bound person to climb to top of Lion Rock

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Wheelchair-bound rock climber Lai Chi-wai is the only Chinese nominee in his category. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 10:01am, 11 Dec 2017Updated: 4:37pm, 11 Dec 2017

A paralysed Hong Kong rock climber has been nominated for a prestigious international sports award alongside world-renowned athletes tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

In 2011, Lai Chi-wai, then a professional rock climber, was paralysed from the waist down after a car accident. Despite the setback, he picked himself back up and became the first wheelchair-bound person to climb to the top of Lion Rock, five years to the day since his accident.

“I want to show others the ‘Lion Rock Spirit’ – as long as we devote ourselves fully, nothing can stop us,” Lai said.

His lofty mission was nominated for the Laureus World Sports Awards best sporting moment of the year. Lai was the only Chinese nominee in the category.

Lai Chi-wai was paralysed from the waist down in an accident in 2011, but has since resumed climbing. Photo: Nora Tam

Other contenders include the highly acclaimed Laver Cup tennis match in September when long-time rivals Federer and Nadal joined forces for the first time on the same side of the court. Their interaction and eventual victory were commended by the selection panel.

Another contender, South Africian surfer Chris Bertish, was nominated for his marathon effort across the Atlantic Ocean on a stand-up paddle board. It took him 93 days and two million strokes to sail the 4,050 nautical miles, according to the selection committee.