Hong Kong welcomes Olympic stars

A star-studded delegation of mainland athletes who achieved outstanding results at the Paris Olympic Games arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday for a series of activities to demonstrate the medalists' Olympic spirit and to interact with local residents for three days.

Led by Gao Zhidan, president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, a group of 65 Chinese Olympians, including 59 gold medalists from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday. It has been a tradition for mainland Olympic medalists to visit the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions after finishing the Summer Olympic Games.

China celebrated its most successful overseas performance ever during the Paris Olympics, securing the second spot in the overall medal standings, with a haul of 40 gold medals.

The visiting delegation included diving superstar Quan Hongchan and record-breaking swimmer Pan Zhanle.

During a welcoming meeting, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the event provides Hong Kong residents with the opportunity to witness the excellence of national athletes up close, fully demonstrating the care that the country places on Hong Kong.

"I hope that the delegation's visit to Hong Kong will make everyone feel like one family," he said.

At a news conference on Thursday afternoon, table tennis star Ma Long reminisced about the warm welcome he received from the government and residents of Hong Kong during his previous visits to the city.

"I feel lucky to share my stories during this event. This time, I hope to engage in more interactions with young people, which will be a special memory in my career," he said.

Swimming star Zhang Yufei, who won one silver and five bronze medals in Paris, said she had visited Hong Kong several times before for competitions and felt quite familiar with the city. Speaking Cantonese, she shared with the media that she had enjoyed tasting Hong Kong-style shrimp dumplings and barbecue pork buns during previous visits.

Twins Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi, who clinched China's first gold medal in the duet artistic swimming event, will begin their doctoral studies at Education University of Hong Kong in September.

"We decided to pursue studies in Hong Kong, as it is close to home and offers an opportunity to enhance our international perspective, and the university provides a great educational environment and resources," Wang Liuyi said.

"During our preparations for the Paris Olympics, scientific and research support contributed to our performance improvement," she said, adding that the twins hope to further enhance their skills through future studies in the city.

The Olympians will participate in a gala show and showcase their skills at two demonstrations, one at Queen Elizabeth Stadium and the other at the Victoria Park swimming pool.

They are scheduled to visit the Hong Kong Sports Institute to interact with local athletes, and also will talk with local residents and students. They will depart on Saturday for a similar visit to Macao.

Demand for these events was exceptionally high, with over 5,000 tickets selling out within 40 minutes on Thursday.

Tinnie Cao, 13, and her friends have tickets for the table tennis demonstration on Saturday. They are big fans of Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, who clinched gold medals in the table tennis mixed doubles competition.

"At the moment we got the tickets, I felt extremely satisfied. I am so excited to finally see my favorite athletes in person," Cao said, adding that she hoped the organizers might arrange autograph sessions to enhance interaction between Hong Kong residents and the athletes.