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China’s Olympic stars given hero’s welcome as 3-day Hong Kong visit starts – as it happened

Olympians are visiting the city fresh from bagging 40 gold medals at Paris Games

Athletes arrive for an official banquet at the Convention and Exhibition Centre. Photo: Dickson Lee

SCMP Reporters

Published: 11:35am, 29 Aug 2024Updated: 12:27am, 30 Aug 2024

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Introduction

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Sixty-five mainland Chinese athletes from the nation’s Olympic team arrived in Hong Kong around noon on Thursday for a three-day visit, fresh from bagging 40 gold medals at the Paris Games.

Diving superstar Quan Hongchan, controversial record-breaking swimmer Pan Zhanle and table tennis legend Ma Long, as well as representatives from other sports, will celebrate their success with Hongkongers.

The Olympic stars are expected to showcase their talents and meet the public at demonstrations on Friday and Saturday, and will also attend a government banquet and reception.

Follow the Post’s coverage as the Olympians and their coaches receive a rousing reception from residents, meet the press, attend a reception at Government House and enjoy a welcome banquet hosted by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.

Reporting by Sammy Heung, Edith Lin, Lars Hamer, Leopold Chen, Emily Hung and Angeline Jiang.