Tickets for events featuring Rio medalists sell out within hours
China's Olympic authority on Wednesday released the names of athletes who will attend a traditional 3-day visit to Hong Kong next week, tickets for which quickly sold out.
Experts called the visit a good opportunity to share national pride and joy over China's athletic achievements with Hong Kong residents.
The Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) released a list of 64 names, including diving star Wu Minxia - winner of four consecutive Olympic golds - and the 12 members of the gold medal-winning women's volleyball team and their coach, Lang Ping, The Beijing News reported Wednesday.
The list also included swimming star Sun Yang, badminton men's singles two-time gold medalist Lin Dan, and bronze medal-winning swimmer Fu Yuanhui, who became an Internet hit in China and overseas after her captivating post-match interview went viral online.
"Besides the gold medalists, we were given support by the [central government] to invite Fu Yuanhui to meet Hong Kongers and participate in various events," Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said before his weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, according to a report by Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP).
During their stay in Hong Kong, the Olympians will stage table tennis and diving demonstrations at Queen Elizabeth Stadium and Victoria Park, in addition to taking part in a variety of shows on Sunday. They will also have a meet-and-greet session with youngsters at Ma On Shan and will visit the Hong Kong Sports Institute to meet local athletes, SCMP reported.
"The delegation's visit is definitely a good thing to promote Hong Kong citizens' identification with Chinese glory and pride," Zhang Dingzhun, deputy director of the Center for Basic Laws of Hong Kong and Macau at Shenzhen University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
All 5,700 tickets for the public events featuring the athletes sold out within hours on Monday. Some of the HK$20 ($2.57) tickets were later spotted being sold online for more than HK$900, though most listings were taken down by Tuesday.
Many citizens in Hong Kong expressed their enthusiasm about seeing their "sports idols," China Radio International reported, citing an interview with one citizen who said he wanted to take his children to see the medalists to teach them that persistence and hard work lead to success.
Karl Kwok, the vice president of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, said the mainland Olympic medalists' sport demonstrations and visit to Hong Kong give local people a chance to witness their splendid sporting talents in person, according to a press release posted on the Hong Kong government's official website. He also said that the athletes' visit will foster the spirit of sport for all and will encourage Hong Kong's public to take part in sports activities.
It has been a tradition for Chinese mainland medalists to visit Hong Kong since the Sydney Games in 2000.
