China quarantine forces Hong Kong to reduce National Games delegation size in Xian
- Edgar Cheung heads Hong Kong’s 169-strong team but 21-day quarantine means only full-time athletes considered this year
- Fencers and cyclists expected to challenge for medals in absence of swimmers at ‘Mini Olympics’
The Covid-19 pandemic remains the biggest obstacle as Hong Kong sends its 169-athlete delegation to the National Games of China, which will officially open its 14th edition in Xian Olympic Sports Complex in Shaanxi province on Wednesday.
Athletes from the city, headed by the newly crowned Olympic men’s individual foil champion fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long, will take part in 18 sports out of a total 35, mainly Olympic programmes. It’s the seventh time Hong Kong attends the biggest multi-sport games in China, often referred to as the “Mini Olympics”, since reunification in 1997.
“We could have sent a bigger squad to compete in more events of the Games but because of the pandemic, we could only consider sending mostly full-time athletes to the Games,” said Cheng King-leung, vice-chairman of the organising committee for the Hong Kong delegation. “The mainland authorities are very strict on quarantine requiring a 21-day isolation for any participant of the Games. If you add the number of competition days, it may take more than a month before an athlete can return to Hong Kong.
“This will be very difficult for athletes who are not full-time but have to work part time or attend schools. Indeed, our games objectives are not solely on competition results but also on promoting friendship and exchanges between Hong Kong and the Mainland athletes.”
Hong Kong Golf Association chief executive Danny Lai said they could only send a team of one man and one woman because of quarantine requirements. “It would be very difficult for our golfers to stay 21 days for quarantine and get back to their form to compete immediately. Luckily we were able to find two golfers who are based in China and required no quarantine,” he said.
