Paris Olympics: Hong Kong’s sports minister backs athletes to win medals even though fewer expected to qualify
- Sports chief Kevin Yeung is confident about chances of success Olympics although smaller delegation expected as some teams fall short of qualification
- Six-hour time difference with Paris may help economy as people can more easily dine out and watch Games after work, he says
Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said on Sunday the six-hour time difference with host city Paris might prove to be a golden opportunity for the economy as people could easily dine out before they headed to watch their favourite sports at public showings in shopping centres, as he defended the government’s decision to purchase the broadcasting rights.
Fifteen Hong Kong athletes had qualified for the Paris Olympics by last month, with some additional spots secured in the past few days, he added.
“We certainly hope for more [qualifying] participants, but the number may be slightly lower this year due to the performance of athletes in one or two team events, which may not have been as competitive compared with the others,” Yeung said.
“There is still a chance to have more [qualifying athletes] from now to June. I think we need to wait and see.”
A record 46 athletes qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and competed in 38 events.
