HK say sayonara with pride in knowledge they did fare well

SAYONARA, sayonara. Hong Kong will bid farewell to the 12th Asian Games today with the satisfaction of having achieved their best ever medal count at the quadrennial event.

As the territory's athletes mingle with new-found friends from the rest of the 41 countries and regions at this evening's farewell jamboree at the Big Arch Stadium, Hong Kong sport will reflect proudly on its 'Dirty Dozen' medals.

Like Hollywood's cast of a dozen heroes who take on the bad guys, and emerge victorious, the 12 medals which Hong Kong won in the past fortnight are a victory in the battle towards progress.

As the territory's sports chief, Arnaldo de Oliveira Sales summed it: 'Hong Kong sport has proved once again that it is making good headway. While we are still in the diploma class, our athletes have done creditably in the face of increased competitiveness and standards.' But as all things are relative, Hong Kong's performance pales into comparison when seen under the same spotlight as that of their giant neighbour China.

'Nothing is ever good enough until we can match China. But although that is a pie-in-the-sky notion, we must remain dissatisfied. For if we go home satisfied with our performance then it would mean we are becoming complacent,' said Sales.

For the moment, however, let's forget about the future and the past, and just bask in the present. Let's savour the moment of going home with five silver medals and seven bronzes.