THE 2003 Bank of China Bauhinia Bowl Awards will have a familiar ring to it as all three 2002 champion schools have successfully defended their titles.
The annual gala for urban institutions, organised by the Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation, will be held at Heep Yunn School in Ma Tau Wai today. La Salle College have clinched the boys' crown ahead of rivals Diocesan Boys' School (DBS) for the fourth consecutive year.
The rivalry between the two schools stretches back some 20 years. The last boys' school to come even close were Wah Yan College, Hong Kong, in 1984, when they finished second to La Salle.
The last school to win the award, other than the two sports powerhouses, were Ying Wa College, and that was back in 1971.
There has been only one name on the girls' champion prize for the past 18 years - Heep Yunn School.
Diocesan Girls' School have been runners-up every one of those times. The re-emergence of fierce competitors Good Hope School in athletics this year was refreshing.