Olympic medal hope Lee Lai-shan will make her final competitive appearance before the Atlanta Games in today's Zest Hong Kong Circuit Tolo Championships at Tai Mei Tuk. Lee and fellow Olympian Sam Wong Tak-sum will only take part in the first day of the two-day event before embarking on a 22-hour journey tomorrow to the Olympic yachting site in Savannah, 250 miles southeast of Atlanta. National coach Rene Appel said both Lee and Wong will be doing their utmost to win their respective races tomorrow, although they are under instructions to work on specific techniques. 'They will be very competitive, but they will be working on certain specifics of racing,' said Appel. The Olympic duo were given a boost when they signed sponsorship contracts with Zest shampoo and soap manufacturers, Procter & Gamble, which will help them financially during their Olympic preparations. Appel is keen to land in hot and humid Savannah as early as possible to acclimatise to the weather, although he feels they will have little trouble getting used to the heat. 'When we were there last year, the other sailors were complaining about the heat and humidity and we found it quite pleasant,' he said. 'It is not that much different from the weather in Hong Kong.' This year's Hong Kong Circuit features six races with Nelson Tang hoping to defend his title this weekend at Tai Mei Tuk. The other races will take place on August 24-25 at Tuen Mun, September 28-29 at Cheung Chau, November 2-3 at Shek O, November 30-December 1 at Stanley and December 14-15 at Sha Ha, Sai Kung.
