Tokyo Games countdown: Hong Kong athletes try to stay strong as surge in Covid-19 cases dampens Olympic mood
- Thursday marks one year to the rescheduled opening ceremony but for Sarah Lee, Vivian Kong and Grace Lau, the occasion is overshadowed by the pandemic
- Badminton player Angus Ng reveals how he lost motivation without playing events until his coach stepped in with short-term goals
The worrying surge in Covid-19 cases is weighing heavy on the hearts and minds of Hong Kong athletes, for whom the one-year countdown to the Olympic Games is overshadowed by a third wave of infections in the city.
Thursday marks one year until the opening ceremony of the delayed Tokyo Olympics but for elite Hong Kong athletes such as cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze, fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai and karate’s Grace Lau Mo-sheung, the occasion holds little meaning during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Maybe because of the pandemic, I don’t have any feelings about the Olympics for the time being,” said Lee, one of the favourites for gold in the Tokyo women’s track sprint events next year. “I am more worried about the infection situation in the community. But the training is good and my fitness is being maintained, so I am not worried about the Olympics.”
Tokyo was expected to welcome the world on Friday for the 2020 Games opening ceremony but the International Olympic Committee and organisers decided in March to postpone the event by one year because of the devastating global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.