Coronavirus: Hong Kong sports community fears a lost generation of junior athletes, despite facilities finally reopening
- Swimming coach and former Olympian Sherry Tsai Hiu-wai says many clubs have lost at least a quarter of their novices
- Tennis Association president Philip Mok Kwan-yat warns large number of elite juniors aged 13-17 could ‘disappear’ because of a lack of training
There are fears a generation of junior athletes in Hong Kong may have been lost because of Covid-19 restrictions in the city.
Senior figures in the sporting community have welcomed the government’s announcement that swimming pools will reopen on Thursday and that masks will no longer be required for outdoor sport, but point out that several long shutdowns have taken a toll.
Beaches will also reopen to the public, two weeks sooner than originally planned, with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor pointing to an improved coronavirus situation.
Swimming in Hong Kong has been hit particularly hard during the pandemic, with pools closed four times since January 29, 2020, for a total of 400 days, or roughly 13 months – resulting in a significant loss of young athletes, according to the three-time former Olympian-turned-coach Sherry Tsai Hiu-wai.
“Of course, I remember these dates because not only was my income [as a club coach] reduced and I had countless unpaid leave, but I could only conduct land training with swimmers online, and swimming training without a pool is very challenging,” former Asian Games medallist Tsai said.
