Hong Kong Special Olympians given send-off ahead of the games in March
- Acting chief executive Matthew Cheung presented the 103-strong delegation with the city flag at Hong Kong Sports Institute on Tuesday
- The athletes will take part in the summer games in Abu Dhabi from March 8 to 21
A delegation of 103 members, including 62 athletes with intellectual disabilities, will represent Hong Kong at the 2019 Special Olympics Summer Games.
Presented with the city’s flag by acting chief executive Matthew Cheung Kin-chung at the Hong Kong Sports Institute on Tuesday, the delegation will depart for Abu Dhabi in just over a month for the games, which take place from March 8 to 21.
The 62 athletes, aged between 10 and 38, will take part in 10 events, including aquatics, athletics, badminton, bocce, soccer, golf, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and table tennis.
Laura Ling Lau Yuet-fun, head of the delegation, said about two-thirds of the athletes were competing in their first Special Olympics.
“We want as many athletes as possible to share the opportunity to participate in such international competitions,” Ling said.
Why Hong Kong’s Special Olympics athletes are unable to compete
Special Olympics Hong Kong, founded in 1976, provides opportunities for more than 50,000 people with an intellectual disability, aged 8 or above, to participate in a variety of Olympic sports.
Gymnastics, aquatics and table tennis have been Hong Kong’s strong areas, Ling said.
“Since we first took part in 1995, we have won 615 medals in the summer games. We hope the athletes taking part this year can continue this success,” she said.
It was also the first time the delegation had to travel with medical personnel because of limited services in Abu Dhabi.
“It took us six months to find a doctor who can stay 18 days with us,” Ling said. “Luckily we found one who had recently retired.”
Other than the athletes and the doctor, the delegation also includes 21 coaches, nine team officials and 10 unified partners.
Padraig Harrington and Li Haotong work with Special Olympics kids
Unified partners are members of the public who volunteer to join sports training with Special Olympics athletes to promote inclusiveness and counter discrimination.
Ling called on people to become unified partners for the athletes.
“I’m not looking for experienced sportsmen to partner one of my boys,” Ling said. “It’s best if you have never tried a sport. After one game, people will realise that even if they themselves are ‘normal’, they are not actually any better than the athletes.”
The Hong Kong Special Olympics have been hosting the unified partner programme since 2011 and have recruited more than 20 participants so far, according to Ling.
