The future of triathlon as an elite sport in Hong Kong is at risk after the Olympic Committee cut its Asian Games team in half. Only two triathletes - Daniel Lee Chi-wo and Andrew Wright - will compete in Guangzhou in November.
The Hong Kong Triathlon Association planned to send four competitors, but the hardline stance on selecting athletes 'who will be competitive' and 'have a realistic chance of doing well' has cost two women their places.
Joyce Cheung Ting-yan and Leanne Szeto Shui-yan were put forward by the association but rejected by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee. Triathlon chiefs then made an appeal for Edith Li Yik-lam to be included after she put together a string of good results, including a good finish in Kazakhstan, which took her to fifth in the ITU Asian rankings and inside the top 140 on the Olympic qualifying rankings. But her bid was also rejected.
Olympic committee secretary general Pang Chung said this week 'every sport has to prove they will be competitive and can win a medal'.
Despite a string of strong performances from the junior squad, the Triathlon Association has not yet reached the required benchmark of nine points needed to retain its elite status at the Sports Institute. With elite status come more funding and resources. It has 8.75 points, with the Asian Games being its last points-scoring opportunity. The system is complicated, with both junior and senior results needed in the tally and weighted accordingly.
Lee has already contributed three points thanks to a bronze medal at last year's National Games in Shandong and if he finishes in the top three in Guangzhou then the elite status and government funding would be safe for another four years.