Paris Olympics: Hongkongers urged to become 7 million-strong ‘cheerleading team’
- Vivian Kong leads the charge for Hong Kong delegation, with Cheung Ka-long and Siobhan Haughey also chasing medals in first five days
Hong Kong’s leader issued a rallying call for the city on Friday, urging them to unite into a 7 million-strong “cheerleading team” for the athletes who will carry the weight of residents’ hopes and expectations on their shoulders at the Paris Olympics.
While locals in the French capital stayed indoors on the eve of the Games, dodging grey and wet skies, a transport network plunged into chaos by vandalism, and complex preparations for the sprawling River Seine opening ceremony, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu was urging Hongkongers to roar on their heroes from afar.
There is no mistaking who among the city’s 35 athletes is best qualified to fulfil Lee’s wish for “the Hong Kong team [to] achieve excellent results and return home with a full load of achievements”.
The delegation’s strength is front loaded, with the genuine podium hopes of Vivian Kong Man-wai, Siobhan Haughey and Cheung Ka-long all chasing medals during the Games’ opening five days.
“Let us cheer for the Hong Kong Olympic athletes, let the Olympic fever spread throughout Hong Kong, and the whole city becomes a cheerleading team,” Lee wrote on social media.
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Kong, the world No 1 épéeist, will begin the charge when she competes at the Grand Palais on Saturday.
