Promising Hong Kong kids earn dream trip to Bayern Munich
Discrimination and weight problems fail to stop two youngsters from fulfilling their German dreams
Vicky Chung Pui-ki has drawn strength from discrimination against her mother and the ignorance of her peers to set a lofty goal of becoming a professional footballer.
The 16-year-old will take another step on that long journey by spending six days at a training camp at German champions Bayern Munich from August 20, thanks to her standout performance at last month's Allianz Junior Football Cup in Hong Kong.
Chung won the most valuable player award and will be joined by 14-year-old Cheng Chin-pang, who has also overcome a different form of discrimination - being overweight - to be offered the chance of a lifetime alongside about 80 teenagers from around the world.
My mum didn't believe at first when I told her I was named the MVP, and then she was very happy
Chung, 16, comes from a single-parent family in Fanling and had faced discrimination because of her mother's deafness and muteness.
"Some of my friends who lived in the same neighbourhood saw I used sign language to communicate with my mum and laughed at her. I was upset, but determined to protect my mum by showing I was strong," said Chung, who plays for Chelsea Soccer School (HK) in the local league.
"My mum didn't believe at first when I told her I was named the MVP, and then she was very happy," said Chung.
"I fell in love with football when I was studying in primary school. So I thought excelling in the sport would be the best way to prove my strength [against the discrimination]."