Siobhan Haughey leads nominees for Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards as public vote opens
- The swimmer, who is busy collecting medals at the world championships, is among the contenders for the women’s category
- In the men’s, triathlete Jason Ng says reaching the Paris Olympics may be easier than beating fencer Cheung Ka-long, golfer Taichi Kho or tennis’ Coleman Wong
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Yet more recognition beckons for Siobhan Haughey after she was nominated for the annual Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards.
With Haughey’s exploits at swimming’s world championships already making her case for nomination next year, her achievements from the previous 12 months ensured she was revealed on Saturday as one of the contenders for 2023.
Public voting via the official website is open until March 17, with Haughey looking a shoo-in to be one of the five women’s stars honoured, and world No 1 fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai among the other stand-out names.
The men’s category features the likes of Olympic fencing champion Cheung Ka-long, who last year won Asian Games and World University Games gold, plus another Asiad winner in golfer Taichi Kho, and tennis star Coleman Wong Chak-lam.
Small wonder that triathlete Jason Ng Tai-long, who appears on the men’s list for the first time, said qualifying for the Paris Olympics looked an easier task than bagging a prize.
Ng is also listed in the team event category, for his Asian Games mixed relay bronze alongside Wong Tsz-to, Bailee Brown and Charlotte Hall. But there, too, illustrious names lurk.
“There’s Cheung Ka-long in the men’s award, and others from badminton, tennis and table tennis,” Ng said. “I’d be surprised if I win anything.
“And then for the team event category, I remembered there was Siobhan Haughey’s relay team and Vivian Kong’s épée team in last year’s awards. The competition is so strong. Whoever wins will deserve it.”
Ng, 23, has three months to overtake his rivals for the place in Paris reserved for Asia’s highest-ranked athlete who is not already qualified. He trails by 76.9 points currently, with up to 200 available per race, and plans to enter “at least four” more.
“To qualify for Paris could be easier [than winning at Sports Stars] because things are somehow under my control,” he said. “All races until mid-May are extremely important and I just need to score the maximum points possible.”
Sports Stars’ team sport category has only one winner and may be a popularity contest between the city’s men’s rugby and men’s football teams, both among the 14 nominations.
Votes by officials and media will also be counted before the winners are crowned on April 24 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
