The Hong Kong Football Association kicked off its 90th anniversary last week at Kowloon Shangri-La's newly renovated Grand Ballroom.
More than 500 guests, including football's elite, joined the association's president, Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, who was in a jolly mood.
'I'm moved by our city's support and commitment,' he said. 'The Olympics provided only fleeting moments in the sport. I'm really looking forward to the Games in our national capital.'
Edmond Leung Hon-man, Alex Fong Lik-sun, who swam at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and Tai Sun-wai provided the evening's musical entertainment, but the night belonged to Happy Valley goalkeeper Fan Chun-yip, who was crowned footballer of the year, an award worth $40,000. He also picked up trophies as Hong Kong's most popular player and was selected as one of 11 local football stars.
Table tennis Olympic silver medallists Ko Lai-chak and Li Ching presented Fan with his awards.
Guests included officials from international football associations including Fifa and the AFC, as well as plenty of locals.
