Backing of elite athletes came too late for some
- The number of Hong Kong athletes qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic Games is in no small part down to the government’s understanding of the importance of sport and fitness to the city. This has not always been the case
There was a stark reminder of how perceptions of sport have changed in Hong Kong over the years in two recent events just a day apart. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor visited the Sports Institute to review preparations of elite athletes for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games as the city was mourning the death of its first Asian Games gold medallist, Catherine Che Kuk-hung.
The world-class training and government support now on hand was not available when the tenpin bowler triumphed in the singles championships in Seoul in 1987. Nor did she get the recognition or rewards that now go hand in hand with winning sporting achievements on the regional and international stages.
Che died on Monday aged 69, having been in poor health for some time. Before her victory at the regional multi-sports Asian Games, Hong Kong had never taken a gold medal, despite having appeared in every edition since the second in Manila in 1954. It was not surprising given the lack of help by the then British colonial government in nurturing sports talent.
Hong Kong’s first Asian Games gold medallist Cat Che dead at 69
Che, known to fellow athletes simply as Cat, lamented to friends in later years that the biggest disappointment of her career was never having received official recognition of her achievements. She said in an interview she did not want her daughter to go into professional sports as there were no financial rewards.
There was a similar initial lack of support for Hong Kong’s only Olympic gold medallist, windsurfer Lee Lai-shan, who won the women’s sailboat event at Atlanta in 1996. Her achievement and Hong Kong’s growing roster of sporting accolades made officials realise the importance of backing for elite athletes.
After the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, efforts began in earnest to put such a system in place and the Sports Institute was established in 2004. As Lam observed during her visit on Tuesday, the city now has world-class athletes in a number of disciplines.
Local athletes have so far qualified for 27 events for Tokyo in July and there are hopes the number will be more than 30. Their abilities are in no small part down to the understanding by the government of the importance of sport and fitness to the city. Unfortunately, Che and others of her era were not so blessed.
