Is Hong Kong excluding next Siobhan Haughey? Swimming bosses ordered to face music
- Swimming body insists it cannot give ‘special treatment’ after singer and ex-swimmer Alex Fong says it blocked nine-year-old from racing
Hong Kong celebrity Alex Fong Lik-sun has accused swimming bosses of ignoring some of the city’s top young talent because they don’t belong to the right clubs.
Fong, a predecessor to Hong Kong’s Olympics-bound Siobhan Haughey when he represented the city at the Sydney Games in 2000, took to social media to blast officials he said had blocked a nine-year-old from racing in certain events.
Swimming officials said Fong, whose swimming academy has the lowest tier of membership with the local governing body, knew the boy would not be allowed to compete, regardless of ability.
On Monday, that response brought a stern rebuke from Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, vice-president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC).
Fok, who is also a member of the Legislative Council, Hong Kong’s lawmaking chamber, said that while each sport association had an element of independence over who could compete, it had to be “based on the interests of the athletes”.
There was “room for improvement” in the approach taken by the Hong Kong China Swimming Association, Fok said, in his capacity as a legislative councillor.