Forget Canto-pop duo Twins - a new pair of almost identical beauties are set to be Hong Kong's starlets when they board their flight to the South Korean sea port of Busan today. Mandy Wong Man-ting and Rosita Tse Wing-sze are representing the SAR in the synchronised swimming competitions at the Asian Games. They plan to ruthlessly promote the sport here on their return - and make Hong Kong a force to be reckoned with.
It seems fitting that we have a particularly entertaining pair showcasing the SAR's synchronised swimming skills at this year's regional get together. What began in the 19th century as a fusion of swimming and ballet had by the 1920s developed into its modern form, and by the 1950s had made the leap from pastime to global phenomenon - thanks to Hollywood. The aqua musicals of Esther Williams in the 1950s and 60s propelled the 'sport' out of chlorinated pools and into the world's living rooms as a peculiar cross-breed of art and athleticism. It didn't make the leap into the credible sports world officially until the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
This year, the silver screen has done it again for the sport. In April, the Japanese movie Waterboys came to the SAR, telling the hilarious tale of a bunch of male, high-school misfits who become transformed by an enthusiastic trainer into a team of synchronised swimmers. It inspired Hong Kongers to take to the pools, wanting to perform their own upside-down, underwater pirouettes.
To meet the reigning stars of the city, I don my flip flops and scurry through the drenching showers of the Kowloon Park indoor swimming pool to catch one of their final training sessions. I am mildly disappointed that I do not have an entire team to talk to and watch - it seems that the sport is still in its early stages here, and due to severely limited facilities has only managed to come up with a duo of dancers to send off to compete.
When they emerge at the diving pool, it is like the mothership has landed. Of equal gymnastic build, the petite pair come across as superhuman fusions of woman and dolphin. It may be the light reflecting off the pool, but their skin is strangely bluish and they dance around with unusual fluidity. After a quick 'hello', they pull off their bright blue SAR
T-shirts, take to the tiled floor and proceed to stretch their bodies into unrecognisable shapes.