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Swimming

Swimming
Given Hong Kong’s location it is hardly surprising swimming is a popular pastime in the city, and success on the world stage has followed in recent years. Double Olympic silver medallist and short course world-record holder Siobhan Haughey is the best of Hong Kong’s athletes in the pool.
Cameron McEvoy clocked 20.88 seconds in the 50m freestyle at the China Open last Friday to break a world record set by Brazilian César Cielo in 2009. Photo: Xinhua
World Aquatics

Swimmer McEvoy says ‘zero dollars’ for new world record at China Open ‘ludicrous’

Paris Olympic champion compares situation with what winners at much-criticised Enhanced Games in May will earn.

Yu Zidi

Yu Zidi completes golden hat-trick in China Open Swimming Championships

Siobhan Haughey

Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey misses out on main final at China Open

Siobhan Haughey

Hong Kong’s Haughey wins gold, silver at China Open, McEvoy breaks world record

Olympic medallist wins again by narrowest of margins but is herself pipped in her second race of the night.

Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey won the 50m freestyle by a whisker at the China Open Swimming Championships, ahead of China’s Cheng Yujie. Photo: Handout
Siobhan Haughey

Haughey wins 100m freestyle at China Open, Tang breaks own Asian record twice

Siobhan Haughey leads from start to finish in Shenzhen, while China’s Tang breaks women’s 50m breaststroke time in heats and in the final.

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games

China swimmer Li Bingjie reveals secret of her return to Olympic track: cold buns

National Games gold medallist says she was never a prodigy but a ‘shark’ who found her way back to the top through sheer grit.

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Hong Kong sports

Hong Kong Olympic swimmer Yvette Kong keen to keep defying traditional limitations

The high-achieving 33-year-old’s latest venture is a start-up aimed at ‘shaping how we define human capability in the next century’.

Yvette Kong’s new venture, Arelyx, has partnered with more than 10 schools, with early pilots showing gains in students’ ‘cognitive flexibility and emotional regulation’. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Chanel’s CC League empowers women athletes on and off the field

The initiative promotes confidence and camaraderie among sportswomen including Hong Kong’s Cindy Cheung and Janelle Leung.

Yu Zidi

China teen sensation Yu becomes youngest ever to receive Laureus nomination

Yu Zidi up for Breakthrough of the Year Award, while Hong Kong charity Rugby for Good also gets a nod in Sport for Good category.

Wellness

How people like 70-year-old Chow Yun-fat keep pushing their endurance limits

Chow ran a half-marathon last year, while silver stars like Natalie Grabow, Jeannie Rice and Hiromu Inada are breaking records. Here’s how.

Actor Chow Yun-fat (middle) runs in the 10km event at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2026. The 70-year-old is part of a growing number of older people competing in endurance races. Photo: Eugene Lee
Australia

Video | Australian boy swims 4km to save his family

The 13-year-old hero ditched his life jacket halfway through the swim, fearing the drag would keep him reaching shore.

This frame grab from video footage from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) taken on February 2, 2026 and received via AFPTV on February 3 shows Austin Appelbee, 13, in Quindalup, Western Australia as he recounted how he swam for four hours through choppy waters to get help for his family. Appelbee made it across four kilometres (2.5 miles) of ocean to raise the alarm after his mother and two younger siblings were swept out to sea. (Photo by various sources / AFP) / Australia OUT / AUSTRALIA OUT / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION (ABC)“- NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
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Mainland China

Video | China’s winter swimmers plunge into frozen lake

Swimmers say their extreme winter activity is drawing a growing number of adventurous and health-conscious young people.

Young Hong Kong swimmer breaks Haughey’s 12-year local short course record

Laura Wang Xintong set the record during the two-day 2025-26 Div. I Age Group Short Course Swimming Competition (Part 3).

Katie Ledecky

Katie Ledecky continues ‘ownership’ of 1,500m freestyle with second-fastest swim

The American Olympic champion wins US Pro Swim Series event easily and has now clocked 24 of the top 25 times for that distance.

Katie Ledecky’s winning time in Austin, Texas on Wednesday did not threaten her world record. Photo: AFP
From our archives

Hong Kong swimmers braving the cold on New Year’s Day, from the 1970s to 2000s

A perennial test of courage, the city’s New Year Winter Swimming Lifesaving Championships race celebrates its 50th year in 2026.

Young participants in the 1978 New Year Winter Swimming Lifesaving Championships organised by the Hong Kong Life Guard Club, now called the Hong Kong Life Saving Society. Photo: SCMP Archives
Singapore

Singapore’s athletes debate on funding after official’s ‘come to party’ review

The debate was prompted by a sports official’s underwhelming assessment of Singapore’s performance in athletics at the recent SEA Games.

International Swimming League

International Swimming League targets 2026 relaunch after Covid, war disruptions

The league, which featured Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey when it was last held in 2021, plans to feature events in North America, Europe, Asia.

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Wellness

Why you should take up swimming after your retirement

Swimming takes pressure off joints, builds muscle strength and cardiovascular health, boosts mental health, and can improve your social life.

When compared with other low-impact activities like walking or cycling, swimming is a safer exercise for people who struggle with balance, works more muscle groups, and is something you can do all year round, one expert says. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

At 50, she became the first woman to swim around Hong Kong’s Lantau Island

Open water swimmer Edie Hu shares how 10 years of endurance training helped her swim the 65km circumnavigation and set another record.

Hong Kong has everything to be top spot for world’s open water swimmers: Edie Hu

With Hong Kong Island record falling days after marathon Lantau Island swim, Edie Hu thinks city could become a prime location for sport.

Hong Kong society

Opinion | Sporting passion of Hongkongers is an inspiration

The enthusiasm of volunteers at the National Games, the energy of the city’s football fans and the dedication of unpaid coaches at the club level are truly impressive.

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Fans erupt in the second half of Hong Kong men’s handball match against Beijing at the National Games at Kai Tak Arena on November 10. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong

Video | Victoria Harbour swim returns with thousands taking part

The 1km (0.62 mile) journey starts at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island and ends at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon.

Victoria Harbour swim returns with thousands taking part
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2025 National Games

‘Definitely surreal’: Ian Ho reflects on winning historic 50m freestyle gold

Ho wins final that included China’s Olympic star Pan Zhanle, states that victory is “definitely surreal”.

2025 National Games

Ho gold is National Games first for Hong Kong’s men, Haughey into 2 more finals

Siobhan Haughey will have to swim two races in five minutes on Monday after reaching finals of 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle.

2025 National Games

National Games: with 3 races to go, Zhang can already be crowned swimming king

The 18-year-old Shandong native has won 3 golds so far, leaving a couple of previous champs behind, and is only halfway through his programme.

Zhang Zhanshuo of Shandong celebrates after winning the 200m freestyle final at China’s 15th National Games in Shenzhen on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
2025 National Games

Haughey wins 100m freestyle gold to complete dominant National Games double

Hongkonger’s second gold makes her city’s first to top podium twice at a single edition, but she says she ‘didn’t have high expectations’.

Siobhan Haughey poses with her gold medal after winning the women’s 100m freestyle. Photo: Xinhua
2025 National Games

Haughey cruises into 100m final, coach ‘really excited’ for what comes next

Coach Tom Rushton has been pushing Siobhan Haughey for the past several years, says 200m freestyle gold was ‘one of her best swims’ ever.

2025 National Games

Siobhan Haughey says her best is yet to come after winning historic Games gold

Star claims city’s first swimming title at a National Games, and has three more events still to come in Shenzhen.

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