Leung steps in to steady things in Hong Kong cycling

For a sport that's enjoyed so much success in recent times, including Sarah Lee Wai-sze's Olympic bronze medal in London last year, news of in-fighting and turmoil within the Hong Kong Cycling Association may come as a surprise. But that is exactly what Leung Hung-tak, the association's new chairman, has inherited after being elected to the post last month.

The latest bombshell to hit cycling - the two-year global ban on Steven Wong, the 2010 BMX Asian Games champion, for doping - is one of many messes Leung has been tasked to clean up.

But before he deals with the fallout from Wong's case, Leung is determined to put the association's house in order. Three key members of the association - president Herman Hu Shao-ming, chairman Leung Sik-wah and general secretary Fred Chan Chun-hung - resigned last month, leaving the sport's governing body rudderless. Leung Hung-tak was persuaded to stand for office and was elected chairman unopposed.

"This is going to be a massive challenge for me because Leung Sik-wah and Fred Chan have been running the association for more than two decades," the new chairman said. "However, I am confident that with the support of the cycling community, we can move this sport forward."

Indeed, the association could not have found a better person to run the organisation than Leung Hung-tak, a former champion cyclist who was also captain of the Hong Kong team in the late 1980s.

"It's rare for a former elite athlete to become the head of his sport's national governing body," said Leung, who led Hong Kong to a fifth-place finish at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, which was also his last international race.