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China's World Champions inspired Hong Kong's elite athletes when the locals visited Beijing earlier this month.

A group of 27 athletes visited the Chinese capital  to study various aspects of modern China, including its sports culture,  political system, customs  and preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Former world champions Deng Yaping (table tennis) and Li Lingwei (badminton) told Hong Kong athletes how they reached the top of their respective sports.

Deng and Li are both members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG).

Tour member, young table-tennis player Wong Ching, once beat Deng in a freak result at the 1997 Shanghai National Games. Deng remembered her, said Wong.

Wong asked her former opponent why she was still involved in sports after retirement.

'She said her success in sport was a result of combined efforts from many people including coaches and teammates, as well as the country's 1.3 billion people,  who gave her unconditional support,' said Wong, a full-time student at the Institute of Vocational Education.

'She said  serving the  community was important, and  reminded us  to help each other as athletes so that we can  do our best for Hong Kong,'' said Wong, a team bronze medallist  at the 1998 Asian Games.

After speaking to her role model Deng, Wong said she felt differently about being an elite athlete. 'I consider myself not only an athlete of a particular sport, but an athlete of Hong Kong,'' said Wong, who coaches juniors in the local community. 'It was a very worthwhile trip. I made lots of new friends  in various sports.''

The tour, from September 15-19, was organised by the Hong Kong Sports Development Board and was funded by the Commission on Youth. During the tour the group also visited the offices of the BOCOG and CPPCC,  Beijing University, and the National Sports Training Centre in Laoshan.



Hong Kong's elite athletes meet mainland's world champions