Hong Kong's elite athletes are taking a welcome break from their usual disciplined routine at the Sports Institute in Sha Tin to tour Beijing and study how the mainland has become such a powerhouse in world sport.
Led by Maureen Chan, executive director of the Hong Kong Sports Development Board, (SDB), 21 athletes left on Monday for a five-day tour of the Chinese capital. The contingent was joined by six of Hong Kong's wushu champions who are already in Beijing for a training stint.
The group has been studying the nation's sports culture, political system, cultural development programmes and its preparations for the Olympic Games in 2008.
On Monday, the group visited the National Sports Training Centre run by the State Sport General Administration. Zhang Bin, deputy director of the centre, briefed them on the development of competitive sports on the mainland. The local athletes also watched their mainland counterparts conduct training sessions in various sports.
Yu Zaiqing, vice-chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, gave a talk on Beijing's preparations for the 2008 Games. At Beijing University, the delegation exchanged views with students and attended lectures on the political system in China.
The tour was organised by the SDB and supported by the Youth Commission of Hong Kong. SDB vice-chairman Herman Hu and Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, accompanied the athletes to Beijing.
