There is a perceptible buzz in the air. I noticed it as I was weaving through shoppers at Telford Gardens mall in Kowloon Bay the other day. It was also apparent as I snaked around dinner-time crowds in Causeway Bay. I assumed it was because Hong Kong is just weeks away from hosting the region's most important sporting event, the East Asian Games. But, no, the excitement was not about so momentous an occasion, but the fact that Christmas decorations were being put up.
There were 'oohs' and 'aahs' at Telford Gardens: dozens of teddy bears, in male and female pairs, have been placed throughout the mall. They are cutely dressed in costumes representing the world's countries. I have no idea what bears have to do with Christmas, but they are certainly eye-catching.
That cannot be said of the fluffy mascots for the Games, Dony and Ami. I am not sure what variety or breed of creature they are meant to be. Nor do the fireworks logo and 'Be The Legend' slogan inspire me.
A lack of pleasing motifs and stirring words aside, though, I cannot fathom why people are crowding to look at bears, while paying scant attention to the sight of an athlete with a lit torch pounding the streets to promote a once-every-four-years event that may not come to our city again during our lifetimes.
The Games begin on December 5 and end eight days later. There are 262 events across 23 sports. Hong Kong hosted the equestrian events of the Beijing Olympics last year, but considerably more sports people will be drawn by next month's occasion. Never before has our city brought together so many athletes - there will be about 3,000 from nine countries or regions, excluding the thousands of locals who will participate in exhibition matches, mini-games and side competitions.
Herewith, a confession: I have not been gripped by East Asian Games fever. I wrote about the Games in February in response to official fears that residents would pay little heed to them. They are, after all, not a patch on their better-known big brother, the Asian Games. This column, in fact, was initially supposed to pertain to Rio de Janeiro's hosting of the Olympics in 2016 and the Fifa World Cup in South Africa next year - until it occurred to me that Hong Kong had a sporting event of its own looming.
