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While some athletes are getting set for the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games (AG), some junior athletes were acknowledged by their hard work and performance and were honoured on the stage today (4 November) at the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI).  Organised by the HKSI and sponsored by ZESPRI^®, the world’s largest exporter of a premium brand of New Zealand kiwifruit, 14 athletes were named outstanding junior athletes at the ZESPRI^® Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards presentation ceremony for the 3^rd quarter of 2010.  With the OJAA, the HKSI hopes to recognise their hard work and encourage them to keep up.

The nominees in this quarter were all very competitive.  The number of awardees exceeded the first two quarters and reached 14.  They are Ho Man-lok, Ho Ping-kwan, Kwan Tsz-him, Li Lut-yin and Ng Ka-fung (athletics), Lam Hin-wai (fencing), Lau In-kwan (karatedo), Wong Wai-kin (rowing), Chan Pui-hei and Tong Tsz-wing (squash), Doo Hoi-kem (table tennis), Cheng Chun-leung and Man Ka-kei (windsurfing) and Lee Tsun-sang (swimming – Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped, HKSAM).  These promising athletes will surely shine in the sporting arena at the future Major Games. 

Officiating guests were Dr Trisha Leahy, Chief Executive of the HKSI; Tony Yue, Vice President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC); and Kwok Tze Lung, committee member of the Hong Kong Sports Press Association (HKSPA).  Eddy Chan, Head of the Asian Games Bid Team was also invited to share the progress on the bidding work to host the 2023 AG in Hong Kong.  He encouraged athletes to keep up and win medals in the future major sporting competitions.  In addition, Robert Wilson, President of Hong Kong, China Rowing Association, athletics coach Yu Lik, swimming coach Ni Chaoyang (HKSAM), windsurfing coach Chan Hoi-suen, karatedo athlete Chan Ka-man and squash player Chiu Wing-yin were invited as special guests in support of the junior athletes. 

Runners Ho Man-lok, Ho Ping-kwan, Kwan Tsz-him, Li Lut-yin and Ng Ka-fung clinched a silver medal in the men’s 4x100M relay at the 14^th Asian Junior Athletics Championships 2010 held in Vietnam in July.  All of them were thrilled to receive the title.  Li said, “The title is a recognition of our effort.  We will definitely keep it up.”  Kwan and Ng hoped to get better results at the Inter-City Games held in China next year.  Ho Man-lok just returned from a 2-week training at Hangzhou in mid October for the preparation of AG.  He hopes to get good results at the Games held this month. 

Lau In-kwan (karatedo) and Chan Pui-hei (squash) were both first-time winners of the OJAA.  Both agreed that the Award was a confidence booster to athletes.  Lau won a bronze medal in the cadet female individual kata at the 10^th AKF Junior & Cadet Karate Championships 2010 held in Hong Kong in August.  “The Awards is very encouraging and it makes all my hard training worthwhile.  Thanks to ZESPRI® for the sponsorship, it not only helps the public understand more about the sports industry, but also provides cash incentive for our better preparation of overseas competitions,” Lau said. 

Fourteen-year-old Chan Pui-hei snatched a gold medal in the girls under 15 category at the Asian Juniors Individuals 2010 held in Sri Lanka.  She said, “Winning the title may exert pressure on me, however I will treat it as an impetus for the future competitions, such as the British Junior Open.”  Chan’s teammate Tong Tsz-wing won a bronze medal in the girls under 19 category at the same competition to share the same honour with Chan. 

Following his first Certificate of Merit in the last quarter, rower Wong Wai-kin won his debut title in this quarter by grabbing a silver medal in the men’s singles sculls at the 16^th Asian Junior Rowing Championships.  Nicknamed “sweet potato”, Wong said, “I would like to thank my coach and family for their great support; without it I cannot imagine how I could overcome the hard training to win this title.”  Wong hopes to participate in more major competitions and get more experience in the future. 

In addition, five athletes including Jackson Wang (fencing), Cheng Hoi-shan (finswimming), Tang Yu-hin (karatedo), Lum Ching-tat (swimming) and Perry Wong (triathlon) were also awarded Certificates of Merit.  Among them, seven-year-old Tang is the youngest recipient ever for the Certificate of Merit. 

The ZESPRI^® Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards is organised by the HKSI and sponsored by ZESPRI^®, with support from the SF&OC and the HKSPA.  They recognise the achievements of outstanding local junior athletes under the age of 19 on a quarterly basis.  Each recipient is presented with a cash prize of HK$2,500, a voucher worth HK$2,500 and a certificate.