The Chinese mainland athletes who achieved brilliant results at the 2024 Paris Olympics arrived to a rapturous welcome in Hong Kong on Thursday as they began their three-day visit to the special administrative region.
Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki led senior SAR government officials and students in giving a red-carpet welcome to the sixty-five athletes and eight coaches from the national team at the Hong Kong International Airport.
Chan noted that since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the central government has arranged for mainland athletes to visit Hong Kong after every Olympic Games to share their joy with Hong Kong people, which reflects the central government's care and importance given to the HKSAR.
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The delegation, led by Gao Zhidan, director of the General Administration of Sport of China, comprises 65 mainland athletes and eight coaches. They will attend the Mainland Olympians Gala Show, and participate in two sports demonstrations and other public events in the city between Thursday and Saturday.
During the welcome ceremony at the airport, Gao thanked the HKSAR government and local people for their warm welcome.
He said that during the visit to Hong Kong, the delegation will engage in extensive exchanges with the HKSAR government, relevant departments and Hong Kong public, especially the youth, to hone skills and promote friendship.
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He also called for joint efforts to contribute to the development of sports in both the mainland and Hong Kong.
The best-known Olympic achievers include Pan Zhanle, champion of the men’s 100-meter freestyle and 4x100m medley relay, who is also the world record holder in the 100m freestyle event; Quan Hongchan, two-time gold medalist in diving events at the Paris Olympics; and Zhang Yufei, a swimmer specializing in the butterfly stroke and a six-time medalist at the Paris Olympics.
The joy and excitement over the visit by the mainland Olympians was shared by people in the city and beyond.
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Leo Li, a Guangzhou resident studying at a Hong Kong university, waited for around 40 minutes on Thursday afternoon in front of the hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui where the delegation will be staying during its three-day Hong Kong trip.
Li was unable to get tickets to the gala show or the demonstrations that the mainland athletes will participate in on Friday and Saturday, so he went to the hotel in the hope of being able to see the athletes he admires in person.
He said he hopes the athletes will treat the Paris Olympics as a fresh start, continue to hone their skills and scale new heights at future Olympics. “Just as swimmer Pan said previously, I hope they can all go beyond themselves and break more records,” said Li.
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College students Chen Jiaqi from Shenzhen and Zeng Xiangyi from Foshan traveled to Hong Kong on Thursday to see the delegation.
They said they are fans of the national table tennis team and the national diving team, and named many of the Olympians they consider their favorites, such as table tennis player Ma Long and diver Quan.
Zeng was thrilled by the athletes’ achievements in Paris, and Chen noted that it was incredible to see so many of them winning honors for the country at such a young age.
They said they won't be able to see any of the athletes’ shows because they have classes over the next two days, but they wish the athletes well in their future sporting careers.
Also in the crowd waiting for the arrival of the delegation at their hotel was Yeri, a student from the City University of Hong Kong.
Yeri said she came to give table tennis medalists Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin a cheer. She said that the two athletes did a great job at the Paris Olympics, and that she hopes they will stick to being themselves and continue to pursue their dreams.
Dai Siyi said she left her home on the mainland at 9 am on Thursday to come to Hong Kong. Once in the city, and after a wait, she eventually saw the athletes pass her by in their coaches, and got a clear view of Sun Yingsha.
“She looked even cuter than on TV,” Dai said.
Huang Shiyu, 24, a Shenzhen resident, said she tuned in to the live broadcast of the athletes’ arrival in Hong Kong during her lunch break on Thursday, adding that she had closely followed this year's Olympics.
"I am definitely thrilled that the delegation is visiting Hong Kong," she said.
Huang said she had discussed with her colleagues the floral wreaths the athletes received when they stepped off the plane.
She added that, among the Olympians, she particularly admires the swimmer Pan, as he has a mature mindset at a young age. She said she also appreciated Pan’s wise responses to journalists' questions after watching several interviews with him.
Over 5,000 tickets for the gala show and sports demonstrations on Friday and Saturday were sold out quickly after going on sale on Aug 22. After their stay in Hong Kong, the delegation will proceed to Macao for a three-day visit.
The national team won in Paris 91 medals — 40 golds, 27 silvers and 24 bronzes — its best results in an overseas Olympics since the national team’s Olympic debut in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
With Xinhua inputs
