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Organised by the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), the Sports for Hope Foundation (SFHF) Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards (OJAA) presentation ceremony for the 3^rd quarter of 2014 took place at the HKSI today to pay tribute to eight junior athletes for their distinguished performances in the past quarter. Student reporters from HKSKH Bishop Hall Secondary School, Sha Tin Methodist College and St. Bonaventure Catholic Primary School joined the presentation ceremony where two of the outstanding athletes, Chan Ho-hong and Wai Kwok-ying (karatedo), showcased their skills in front of more than 100 teammates, coaches and parents, teachers and principals, officials from the National Sports Associations as well as guests from the sports community.

The officiating guests of the ceremony include Ms Margaret Siu, Director, High Performance Management of the HKSI; Mr Tony Yue MH JP, Vice-President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC); Mr Chu Hoi-kun, Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Press Association (HKSPA) and Miss Marie-Christine Lee, founder of the SFHF.

The recipients of this quarter include Chan Yuk-man (rowing), Chik Ho-yin and Tse Sui-lun (sailing), Lui Hiu-lam and Yuen Tsun-hei (Squash), Doo Hoi-kem and Hung Ka-tak (table tennis), and Chan Tsz-kit (windsurfing).

Table tennis player Doo Hoi-kem received her 11^th Outstanding Junior Athlete title by winning 3 silver and 3 bronze medals at two international events in the quarter, namely the Nikon 2014 Hong Kong Junior & Cadet Open and the 20^th Asian Junior Championships 2014. Highly commended by her coach, Li Ching, the 17-year-old star captured the limelight by demonstrating her sporting talents and leading the team to a remarkable result at junior levels in the international arena. She regarded Chinese table tennis luminary, world No.1 Ding Ning as a role model.

Doo’s teammate, Hung Ka-tak also proved his capabilities by grasping 1 silver and 2 bronze medals at the same competitions. Inspired by his elder brother, who was also a table tennis talent, Hung started professional training since 2007 and had represented Hong Kong to participate in various international competitions. He was delighted to receive the award again, “It is an important recognition to my hard work and it encourages me to strive for even better performances.”

Up-and-coming rowing star Chan Yuk-man earned his first title after bringing a gold medal home from the 20^th Asian Rowing Junior Championships held in Taiwan, where he came first in the junior men’s single sculls event. He expressed his gratitude to SFHF for their support, and the award proved that the sweat and tears he shed were not wasted. This gold medal also boosted his confidence in the sport and he plans to become a full-time rower after graduating from high school.

Sailing partner Chik Ho-yin and Tse Sui-lun impressed the judges by sealing a silver medal in the men’s 420 event at the Incheon Asian Sailing Championships. Chik said, "I would like to thank SFHF by encouraging me to pursue excellence in sailing. Now, I have set my target on 2016 Olympics Games in Rio." Tse echoed his teammate and further expressed, "The award lights up the fire in my heart, I am ready to fight for a place at the Rio Olympics." Both young athletes admire Coach Chan Yuk-wah's perseverance and persistence to excel, they see him as a role model and wish to become Olympians as Chan did.

In addition, Cheung Hoi-laam and Wu Cheuk-yan (athletics), Ma Che-yan (finswimming), Yu Sze-ching (gymnastics), Yu Chuen-yiu (kart), Chan Ho-hong and Wai Kwok-ying (karatedo), Ma Pak-hong and Mok Sin-ying (roller sports), the U20 rugby 7s team (please refer to the recipients list), and Kok Yu-hang (triathlon) were awarded Certificate of Merit for this quarter. Furthermore, Ng Tsz-yau (badminton), Chien Kei-hsu and Choi Chun-yin (fencing), Siobhan Haughey (swimming) and awardees of this quarter Doo Hoi-kem and Hung Ka-tak (table tennis) were awarded Certificate of Merit for their outstanding performance at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games held in Nanjing, China this summer.

Organised by the HKSI and sponsored by the Sports for Hope Foundation since 2012, with support from the SF&OC and the HKSPA, the OJAA recognises 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.

Awardees’ Achievements in 3^rd Quarter (PDF)