Opinion | Will 2021 be best year yet for Hong Kong sport? Olympic medal hopefuls abound for Tokyo
- Pandemic-hit 2020 has given more lead time for Hong Kong Olympians to prepare for Tokyo Games
- Sarah Lee, Siobhan Haughey, Grace Lau and Vivian Kong are all real medal challengers to make 2021 a great year for Hong Kong sport
The year 2020 is certainly one to forget after the pandemic threw Hong Kong’s and the world’s sports calendar into a sorry state of flux.
But as we welcome 2021, Hong Kong’s small band of world-class athletes have capitalised on the opportunity to improve themselves further ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games, which have been pushed to this summer.
Thanks to the Hong Kong Sports Institute, the city’s top athletes are able to continue their tailored training schedules in a safe, closed camp environment.
Hong Kong first took part in the Olympic Games under its own name at the 1952 Helsinki Games before claiming its first gold medal through windsurfer Lee Lai-shan at the 1996 Atlanta Games. But never have we had so many genuine medal hopefuls heading into a Games. 2021 could become a great year for Hong Kong sport.
Cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze, swimmer Siobhan Haughey, karate exponent Grace Lau Mo-sheung and fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai will all be challenging for medals. And we shouldn’t underestimate table tennis mixed doubles duo Doo Hoi-kem and Wong Chun-ting, windsurfer Hayley Chan Hei-man and the men’s team foil, which features a number of young, fast improving fencers. They are capable of surprising anybody on their day.
