'More support needed to make it on to medal table'
Hong Kong officials yesterday played down the zero medal tally at the Games, saying more resources would be needed if they were to be competitive at Olympic level.
A record 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in Beijing, setting 132 Olympic records and 43 world records. Among these NOCs, a record 87 joined the medal count, but not Hong Kong.
'We should not judge the Hong Kong team's performance by the number of medals,' said chef de mission Victor Hui Chun-fui yesterday. 'It is not fair to the athletes, considering the hard work and effort they have made and the results they have achieved.
'For example, swimming did not even come close to winning a medal, but they set five Hong Kong records which, in my opinion, is already a great success,' he said. Hui, who is also chairman of the government's Elite Sports Committee, said it was not as bad as it seemed.
'In table tennis, we won a silver medal in the men's doubles in Athens four years ago, but the event was scrapped. Our men and women's teams reached the medal stages in Beijing, but unfortunately the women's team had to face China in the semi-finals. No team in the world could beat China, considering their determination to clinch victory in their national sport.
