Hong Kong swimming boss defends under-fire association over ‘ridiculous’ barring of boy, 9

The governing body for Hong Kong swimming has defended its competitions’ eligibility rules amid scrutiny from lawmakers, after its exclusion of a promising junior raised concerns it could overlook the next Siobhan Haughey.

Singer and former Olympic swimmer Alex Fong Lik-sun earlier branded the rules “unbelievable and ridiculous”, having complained about a nine-year-old at his academy being refused entry to a local competition. The boy had been excluded because he did not belong to the right kind of swimming club, despite having swum the qualifying time.

The Hong Kong China Swimming Association (HKCSA) this week agreed broadly to find ways for individuals to race regardless of status, after lawmaker Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, vice-president of the city’s Sports Federation and Olympic Committee, called HKCSA officials to a meeting and warned they “must not bury the talents of athletes”.

Fok said after the meeting that he told the HKCSA there was “a long-term need to improve the athlete selection mechanism”.

But Ronnie Wong Man-chiu, the association’s president, told the Post the details of how to handle the boy’s case were yet to be determined. He said the status of a swimmer’s club remained a valid entry criterion, and warned that admitting individuals according to results alone would lead to “grey areas”.