Women’s Writes | New beginning for women pursuing Olympic dream

As of August 2013, 17 female rugby players in Hong Kong signed full-time or part-time contracts with the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI). For many of us, me included, that meant quitting our jobs as personal assistants, sports marketers, teachers and secretaries.

For many of the younger players who are still studying at various Hong Kong universities, it meant going part-time with their studies and rearranging exams to suit the dates of our tours. All pencil skirts and suit jackets were flung to the back of our wardrobes and our drawers are now rammed with the blue-and-red HKSI kit.

It has been a huge adjustment, but I speak for the whole squad when I say that not a single one of us has any regrets. After all, this is all being done in pursuit of the ultimate athlete’s dream: an opportunity to compete in the Olympics.  

The environment and facilities available at the HKSI are a real testament to the government’s investment in Hong Kong sport.

The newly renovated site provides university-style rooms for many of the athletes, one of the few remaining grass pitches in Hong Kong surrounded by a 400m track, huge sport halls and what seems like hundreds of ping pong tables!

Oh, there’s also a large canteen with an amazing buffet – which might sound dangerous but every item on the menu is labelled with its exact nutritional breakdown. Just about every sport you can think of is catered to at a five-star level.

We spend most of our time in the state-of-the-art gym, complete with rows of squat racks, benches, bikes, treadmills, weights and lots of other things that I’m yet to learn how to use! It’s a gym junkie’s paradise.