Hong Kong baseball player’s struggle and sacrifice rewarded at National Games
Egon Chan says using all his work leave to play baseball will be worth it as Hong Kong return to Games with a stronger team this time
Hong Kong baseball player Egon Chan Cheuk-kiu has said the “huge struggle” of juggling a high-flying job with competing internationally will pay off when he steps into the National Games arena on Wednesday.
Chan, 31, is a senior member of a team who will begin their campaign against hosts Guangdong in Zhongshan, having used annual leave from his job as a business risk specialist with DBS to play in the tournament.
“I use all my time off for baseball and haven’t travelled on holiday for about five years,” Chan said. “We have two or three tournaments a year, and afterwards I often find I have no leave left. I say sorry to my family, but it’s what I choose.
“My parents have been very supportive. From when I started playing at five, they knew there would be long hours of training and tournaments.”
Chan routinely works days at DBS’s International Commerce Centre office in West Kowloon before hightailing across town on public transport to Lam Tin for three-hour practices from 7pm. He lives another lengthy journey away, in Yuen Long.