News

Badminton players Wong Wai-hong and Yip Pui-yin, and Au Wing-chi of squash have been honoured A.S. Watson Group/Hong Kong Sports Institute Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards title for the first quarter of 2005 at today's ceremony held at the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI).

Officiated by The Honourable Bernard Chan, HKSAR Legislative Councillor, Mr Ian Wade, Group Managing Director of the A.S. Watson Group, and Professor Chan Kai-ming, Vice-Chairman of the HKSI, the presentation also celebrated the second anniversary of the sponsored Awards with the participation of all nominees and recipients for 2004 who were also presented with certificates of merit by the HKSI.

The Honourable Chan highly appreciated the Awards scheme, saying, "It demonstrates the public's and the sports community's recognition of the hard work and effort of the young athletes. I pledge for the continuous support of the parents, school teachers and principals to the athletes so as to boost their morale in facing the challenges ahead."

At the presentation, Professor Chan thanked the A.S. Watson Group for their sponsorship to the Awards scheme. He also wished the young athletes could keep up with their good works and continue to achieve international success for Hong Kong.

Despite her age, Yip Pui-yin , 17, has already won herself a place in the Hong Kong badminton team. She won two bronze medals in the girls' singles and mixed doubles at the 18^th International Junior Badminton Championships of Netherlands in February. She was also a member of the Hong Kong squad for the just concluded World Badminton Team Championships held in Beijing where she played two matches in the women's singles.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank my coaches and colleagues. Without their support, I would not have been able to win this Award," said the young shuttler. "The Award recognises the performance of junior players and can also help promote junior sports development . I will therefore thank the sponsor and other supporting organisations for their contribution."

To focus on her sporting career, Yip is now training on a full-time basis at the HKSI. The junior has set her sights on the forthcoming Asian and World Junior Championships with a top-eight finish in each of them. She also hoped to improve her world ranking to top 50 within a year.

Wong Wai-hong , another top junior in local badminton, was pocketing his second title after winning his first one in the final quarter of 2004. His outstanding performance included two bronze medals in the boys' singles and mixed doubles at the 18^th International Junior Badminton Championships of Netherlands held in February.

"This is just amazing as it is my second outstanding junior athlete awards title in a row. There were some strong competitors for this quarter and I am very happy to win among them," said the 18-year-old player after knowing the result.

Also training on a full-time basis at the HKSI, Wong hoped he would be as successful as his senior Wang Chen in future. "Though she is a world class player, she still trains hard on the court and that's why she can return with so many medals and honours. I've learnt a lot from her training attitude and, hopefully, I could be as successful as her one day," said Wong.

Au Wing-chi of squash also scored her second victory of the Awards after winning it in the first quarter of 2004. "I am very happy to have collected it for the second time. I will continue to work hard so that I won't let people down, especially those who have been supporting me over these years," said the 16-year-old Au , who captured a silver medal in the under 17 girls' singles at the British Junior Open held in January.

In 2004, she was champion of the England Junior Squash Open (under 15 category), the first Hong Kong player to claim the title in its 23 years' history.

"I'm still a young player and have to learn a lot of things in both sport and studies. Over the past couple of years, I have tried to work out a balance between sport and studies and I am glad that my coaches and teachers have helped me a lot in both areas," said Au, who is a fourth form student at the Jockey Club Ti-I College.

Mr A F M Conway, Vice-President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) and Mr Chiu Chan-fai, Executive Committee Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Press Association (HKSPA) also attended the presentation to present prizes to the recipients. Each of the recipients received a cash prize of $2,500, a sports gear voucher of $2,500 and a certificate of merit.

To celebrate the occasion and in recognition of the achievement of the juniors, the sponsor announced their continued support to the scheme in the coming year and presented binoculars to all candidates and recipients of the 2004 Awards, encouraging them to set vision for the future and wishing them a success in gaining glory for Hong Kong .

"Giving back has always been an important part of the way we do business at A.S. Watson. I believe that sport is an effective tool in enriching young people's lives, and by giving them opportunities, we are giving our society opportunities," said Mr Ian Wade at the ceremony.

The Awards scheme was introduced by the HKSI in 1999 and has had the support of the SF&OC and HKSPA. The A.S. Watson Group, a long-term partner of local sport, has committed to a sponsorship deal with the scheme since 2003 in order to provide more extensive support to junior athletes in Hong Kong.