Hong Kong pair aim to survive 'trial by fire' at Youth Olympics
Triathletes arrive in Nanjing a day early to adapt to the intense heat
Hong Kong's triathlon team arrived a day ahead of the main delegation as they attempted to acclimatise for their "trial by fire" in a city known as one of the mainland's "four furnaces".
The second edition of the Youth Olympic Games begin on Saturday night in Nanjing with what is promising to be an impressive opening ceremony as the main body of the Hong Kong delegation arrived in the city on Thursday.
Triathletes Michael Lam and Chelsea Hung Cheuk-yi, however, landed on Wednesday to try to adapt to the hot weather. Maximum daily temperatures in the city usually exceed 35 degrees Celsius and often breach the 40 degrees Celsius mark.
We trained at noon for the past month in Hong Kong to get used to the heat, as we knew competing [in Nanjing] would be tough
"We trained at noon for the past month in Hong Kong to get used to the heat, as we knew competing here would be tough," said Hung. "It was raining and cool when we arrived, about 22 degrees Celsius. It is much hotter today, but we can still manage."
Nanjing is well known for its hot summers, and is frequently described as one of the "four furnaces" in the country. The high temperatures raise fears about the health of athletes.
When the Asian Youth Games was held last year in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, some Hong Kong footballers, as well as volunteers and spectators, suffered heatstroke.