Mainland Chinese divers, swimmers make a splash with Hong Kong crowd amid city visit
Mainland Chinese Olympians all smiles as they show off flips and tricks unseen at Games during public event at Victoria Park Swimming Pool
Hongkongers were treated to a watersports showcase by mainland Chinese Olympians on Saturday, with divers performing all manner of special flips and tricks unseen at the Games as swimmers wowed the crowd with a relay event.
Among the audience were two past national diving queens, Olympic gold medallists Fu Mingxia and Guo Jingjing. The pair were later seen taking pictures with the visiting athletes after the fully booked 2,500-seat event at Victoria Park Swimming Pool.
The demonstration was one of three public events held to welcome the mainland athletes during their three-day stay in the city, including a gala show, with all 5,300 tickets selling out at HK$20 (US$2.60) each.
During Saturday’s showcase, the mainland diving team took the opportunity to perform special moves typically not seen at competitive events.
One such manoeuvre saw each member of the team dive from a platform in swift succession and gracefully navigate every landing.
Asked about her experience performing to the crowd, fan favourite diver Quan Hongchan said: “I think it was really fun.”