Chan may yet make Olympics debut
The Hong Kong Windsurfing Association has not ruled out the possibility of Hayley Chan Hei-man still making her Olympic debut in London after the 21-year-old was discharged from hospital, just over a week after being involved in a collision with a racing dinghy while training.
Chan, who suffered three broken ribs, has made a 'fast recovery', according to Cowen Chiu But-kau, president of the windsurfing association, who added there was still a chance the Hong Kong University student would be in the starting line-up when the women's windsurfing competition gets underway on July 31 in Weymouth.
'The good news is that Hayley has been discharged from hospital but this doesn't mean that she is fit enough to train or to go on the water,' Chiu said yesterday. 'But she is young and she has showed she can recover fast. There is still hope that she can take part.'
A physiotherapist from the Hong Kong Sports Institute will work with her daily.
Officials have been reluctant to divulge the extent of Chan's injuries. However, it is believed that for Chan to walk away from her hospital bed a week after the accident could mean her ribs were cracked and not broken. Generally, the normal time to recover from such an injury is six to eight weeks.
'We want to give her every chance possible to represent Hong Kong and as such we will not take a decision if she is to be replaced or not,' said Dennis Chau Wai-keung, the association's executive director. 'The priority is to try and help her with all the assistance and support she needs.'
Chau added: 'Hayley has made a lot of sacrifices to get to the Olympics and we have to respect that. Unless we get professional advice saying that it won't be suitable for her to race, or unless she herself decides that she won't be able to participate, we will give her more time.'
In pursuit of her Olympic dream, Chan took a one-year sabbatical from Hong Kong University, where she studying for an arts degree. This sacrifice and the possibility that there isn't anyone else to step into her shoes are the two issues keeping the association from taking a decision.
Pang Chung, secretary general of the Hong Kong Olympic Committee, said the deadline for the Hong Kong squad to the Olympics to be finalised was in early July.
'The windsurfing association will have time until the first week of July to take a decision. But if there is a replacement, she will have to be ... someone who has a good competition record,' Pang said.
Chiu added: 'All we can do now is to wait and see. Hopefully Hayley will be okay in the next couple of weeks.'
