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HKSI International Sports Science Symposium Professionals from Sport Nutrition Shared Research Findings and Applications

01 November 2016

Dr Trisha Leahy BBS, Chief Executive of the HKSI (6th from left) and Dr Raymond So, Director of Elite Training Science & Technology of the HKSI (1st from right) joined the group photo with representatives from the three co-organisers including Dr Gary Mak, President of Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine and Sports Science (5th from left), Ms Sylvia Lam, Chairman of Hong Kong Dietitians Association (3rd from left), Mr Frankie Siu, President of Hong Kong Nutrition Association (4th from left); and the guest speakers Dr Greg Cox, Sports Dietitian & Sports Science Sports Medicine Coordinator of Australian Institute of Sport (5th from right), Dr Richard Swinbourne, Head and Senior Sport Dietitian of Singapore Sports Institute (2nd from right), Dr Duncan MacFarlane, Associate Professor of Division of Community Medicine and Public Health Practice, School of Public Health of The University of Hong Kong (4th from right), Mr Gabriel Pun, Dietitian of PRO-CARE Specialist Centre (1st from left), Mrs Lisa Scullion, Sports Nutrition and Monitoring Manager of the HKSI (3rd from right) and Mr Charles Chan, Sports Science Officer of the HKSI (2nd from left). Read More

(From left) Three Olympians Chan Ming-tai, Yiu Kit-ching (athletics) and Kong Man-yi (swimming) attended the sharing session on the second day of the Symposium, where they told their experience on how sport nutrition benefited their overall sporting performance. Read More

Theming on “Applied Sport Nutrition - From Science to Plate”, the HKSI International Sports Science Symposium 2016, sponsored by Mr Ming Wai Lau, was successfully held at the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) on 28 and 29 October 2016.  Over 220 overseas and local scholars, professional and experienced practitioners, coaches, athletes and the public shared at the forum while three Hong Kong Olympians Yiu Kit-ching, Chan Ming-tai and Kong Man-yi also demonstrated the importance of sport nutrition on their daily training on the second day of the event.

Jointly organised by the HKSI, Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine and Sports Science, Hong Kong Dietitians Association, and Hong Kong Nutrition Association, the Symposium was benevolently title sponsored by Mr Lau Ming-wai BBS JP.  It aimed to apply evidence-based sport nutrition science to everyday athlete scenarios such as current intake recommendations of different nutrient, practical nutrition solutions for various kinds of athletes, weight management, recovery nutrition and the use of nutritional supplements.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr Trisha Leahy BBS, Chief Executive of the HKSI, welcomed the distinguished experts and guests and said, “Sport nutrition plays an important role in the elite training scientific support.  We are honoured to have all the prestigious guest speakers and experts from overseas as well as Hong Kong here, providing a unique platform to share and learn the latest trends in applied sport nutrition.  We believe this will give all practitioners valuable insights in elite training, so as to help Hong Kong athletes pursue higher performance.”

Dr Gary Mak, President of Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine and Sports Science, said, “Thanks to the support from all co-organisers, I am excited to see this very good opportunity for international exchange and further collaboration with professionals in Hong Kong and overseas in the field of sport nutrition.”

Ms Sylvia Lam, Chairman of Hong Kong Dietitians Association, also said, “I am so happy to see this day to come because this is the first time to have such an extensive symposium focusing on sport nutrition.  Most of the time, what we read from scientific papers are just theories, but when it comes to practise it is very important for personnel who work very closely with sportsman to share their own real experience.”  Mr Frankie Siu, President of Hong Kong Nutrition Association, agreed, “Sport nutrition has substantially grown over recent years and each year, there are over hundreds of researches published.  It is great to share how to translate science into our daily lives and put it into practice.”

The two-day presentations were started by Dr Greg Cox, the Sports Dietitian & Sports Science Sports Medicine Coordinator of the Australian Institute of Sport, Australian Sports Commission.  He served as the Nutrition Lead for the Australian Team at Rio 2016 Olympic Games and shared his valuable knowledge and experience on topics including the importance of nutrition for sports performance, current carbohydrate intake recommendations, practical nutrition solutions for endurance and team sport athletes.

On the second day of the Symposium, Olympians marathon runner Yiu Kit-ching, long jumper Chan Ming-tai and swimmer Kong Man-yi attended a sharing session.  Yiu revealed one of her true life experiences on nutritional strategies, saying, “Once I had supposed that I did not need to take in too much water as I have comparatively low body weight and seldom sweat.  But after experiencing a period of recurring sense of hunger, I did the blood tests and discovered that my body was suffering from dehydration.  As per the sport nutritionists’ advice, I then drank over 2,500ml of water every day which result in the optimal physical condition without the abnormal appetite and tiredness anymore.  This shows me the inevitable importance of sport nutrition monitoring on elite training.”

The HKSI International Sports Science Symposium, sponsored by Mr Ming Wai Lau, was also supported by the Hong Kong Coaching Committee, the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China, the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.