Chinese Olympians keen to put on a show for Hong Kong fans despite Covid-19 restrictions, table tennis legend Ma Long says
- Ma Long and superstar sprinter Su Bingtian are among a group of 29 athletes from the Tokyo Games who will spend three days in city
- The traditional post-Olympic tour was delayed by about three months this year because of Covid-19 travel restrictions and September’s National Games
Table tennis legend Ma Long said China’s Olympic stars were keen to put on an entertaining show for their Hong Kong fans despite Covid-19 restrictions and this year’s trip being delayed by around three months.
Ma, along with superstar sprinter Su Bingtian and cyclist Zhong Tianshi, were among 29 mainland athletes and three coaches who arrived in Hong Kong on Friday for a three-day goodwill visit to the city.
“We might have had to adjust some of the activities that we do in Hong Kong because of the pandemic, but it will be as exciting as before,” said Ma, a three-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. “We have received a lot of support on our way to Hong Kong and believe the visit will still be very successful.”
Since reunification in 1997, it has become a tradition for China’s Olympic athletes to visit Hong Kong after each Games. Past trips have normally taken place in the early weeks after the Olympics have ended while their medal-winning efforts are still fresh in the hearts and minds of fans.
The post-Tokyo 2020 tour, however, was delayed because of the National Games in September and travel restrictions caused by the pandemic. Entry to watch the stars perform at three functions on Saturday have been limited to 5,300 because of social distancing measures.