Hong Kong property tycoon gives another HK$4 million to tech initiative that designed Olympic cycling medallist Sarah Lee’s suit
- Sun Hung Kai Properties executive director Adam Kwok ups his donation to sports aerodynamics initiative following Sarah Lee’s win
- Kwok says he hopes wind tunnel initiative will go on to innovate in other sports, such as windsurfing and swimming
Kwok said he hoped the wind tunnel initiative would go on to innovate in other sports, such as windsurfing and swimming, by studying how to reduce drag in water.
“I would never have imagined the speed suit developed there – the bike, the helmet and everything else tested there by Sarah and the athletes – would be able to help today,” Kwok said on Sunday at a shopping mall in Kwun Tong, where he was watching Lee’s bronze medal win along with a crowd of Hong Kong supporters.
He urged both the government and the private sector to continue investing in the field of sports technology, pointing out that good gear was part of the effort to ensure the city’s athletes performed at their peak. Lee’s lead of 0.02 seconds during the women’s sprint heat on Saturday was a prime example, Kwok said.
“These marginal gains are the difference between whether you are on the podium and getting a medal or not … so we should collaborate more with local universities on these kinds of innovation,” he said. “Long-term financial support for sport and athletes is just as important as one-off cash prizes.”
Kwok is also a standing committee member of the All China Youth Federation, president of the Hong Kong United Youth Association and organiser of the Hong Kong Cyclothon. He previously donated HK$6 million to the sports aerodynamics initiative, which was launched in 2019.
