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SCMP Reporter

SINCE the territory produced its best performance at the Asian Games in October last year, local athletes have been working hard to be part of the last Hong Kong squad under British rule to take part in the Olympic Games in Atlanta in July.

It will be an historic moment for those who represent the territory but there will also be heartbreak for those who fail to make the grade.

Hong Kong Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee president A. de O. Sales estimated a squad of 30 athletes for Atlanta, with a handful having already secured their places by virtue of their performances over the past 12 months.

Foremost among them is women's windsurfer Lee Lai-shan, who remains Hong Kong's best chance of winning its first Olympic medal.

Lee had another great season on the international circuit, winning the European championships and then finishing third in December's World Championships in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Her world performance theoretically translates into an Olympic silver medal as she finished third behind two French women. Under Olympic rules, no nation can be represented by more than one sailor.

Women's table tennis players Chai Po-wa and Chan Tan-lui are also strong contenders for Atlanta medals.

Chai's form, in particular, has been consistent during the season and she finished the year ranked fifth in the world. Chan has cut back on her playing commitments as she is studying in Australia.

 But, as a pair, the girls are expected to challenge for medals in the women's doubles and team events.

 Another athlete destined for Atlanta is cyclist Wong Kam-po. The 23-year-old will be Hong Kong's only cyclist at the Games. He qualified by finishing third in the Asian Championships in the Philippines.

 Other sports expected to fly the territorial flag for the last time in Atlanta are track and field, badminton, canoeing, judo, rowing and swimming. Tennis and archery are not likely to make the grade.

 Hong Kong soccer players knew several months ago that they would not be going to Atlanta after a disastrous qualifying campaign.

 The territory, under-prepared and inexperienced, did not win a single game in the qualifiers.

 Domestically, it has been a bitter-sweet year for Hong Kong soccer champions Eastern. Only days after winning its second straight league title, it was announced that its financial backer, businessman Lam Kin-ming, was pulling out.

 It resulted in a mass exodus of Eastern's top players, including Hong Kong captain Lee Kin-wo who went to rivals South China.

   South China regained its former glory by winning the Challenge Shield, beating Golden 2-1 in the final.

 Hong Kong tennis saw another change of guard in 1995. Veteran Davis Cup player and captain Mark Bailey was in charge of a young team which was relegated from the Asia-Oceania Zone Group One, losing the relegation play-off to Taiwan at home.

 The Hong Kong Tennis Association then announced Kelvin Inge, a former Hong Kong number one who left the territory in the early 1980s to study medicine, as Bailey's successor.

 World-class tennis continued to be one of Hong Kong's leading crowd-pullers. The Salem Open drew many spectators, who were delighted to see Chinese-American Michael Chang win his second successive title when he defeated Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman in the final.

 Sweden's former world number one, Stefan Edberg, won the Marlboro Championship after beating Italy's Andrea Gaudenzi in the final.

 The Cathay Pacific Hongkong Bank Sevens was once again a huge success. Hong Kong fans already knew about Kiwi powerhouse Jonah Lomu from the 1994 Sevens. Lomu was again a major factor in New Zealand's victory at the Hong Kong Stadium, where it beat Fiji in the final.

 The giant Lomu was voted player of the tournament in Hong Kong and, a couple of months later, made a massive impact at the Rugby World Cup finals in South Africa.

 Competitively, Hong Kong's rugby players have been quiet on the international scene. But 1996 will prove to be a significant year for regional rugby following an announcement in December that Hong Kong will be included in a new Pan Pacific series which will also feature Japan, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Western Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.

  Hong Kong played host to several major international sporting events last year, including the Hong Kong Open badminton tournament and the World Women's Squash Championships.



Windsurfer Lee raises hopes for territory's first Olympic medal