It’s time we support sport

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By Kelly Leung, St Paul’s School (Lam Tin)
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By Kelly Leung, St Paul’s School (Lam Tin) |
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Rex Tso after defeating Japanese boxer Hirofumi Mukai in Clash of Champions 2.

Rex Tso Sing-yu is a very talented boxer. He has won several regional titles, and been ranked in the top 10 by the World Boxing Association. This is really incredible and I feel so proud of him.

Being an athlete in Hong Kong is quite difficult compared to other countries because of the lack of resources here. It is not easy for athletes to find somewhere to practise since there are not enough sports facilities.

As a result, they often need to pay expensive fees and this puts a huge financial burden on them and their families.

It’s easier to give up than continue down the difficult path of becoming an athlete. So I really appreciate their perseverance and courage.

Until now, it’s only been the athletes who win big that become famous and win the support of Hongkongers. But that’s slowly changing. Hongkongers are becoming more aware of different sports events, and taking more interest in them. I think it is great that more talented athletes will be seen and supported by the public. This will benefit Hong Kong as a whole. Our athletes help spread the spirit of Hong Kong – work hard and never give up – around the world.

Since Tso is Hong Kong’s “wonder kid”, I’m already looking forward to his next fight. I don’t think we’ll be disappointed.

Kelly Leung, St Paul’s School (Lam Tin)

From the Editor

Thanks for your letter, Kelly, and I agree wholeheartedly with you. Rex Tso is a Hong Kong hero and we can all be proud of him. Unfortunately we don’t have too many sporting heroes. In fact, windsurfer Lee Lai-shan remains the only person to have won an Olympic gold medal for Hong Kong.

I think the biggest problem is that Hongkongers put too much emphasis on academic excellence. They are mostly worried about getting into university and getting a well-paid job. This attitude has to change.

Also, the government is not doing enough to support athletes. The Hong Kong Sports Institute is doing a good job promoting our athletes but it needs more resources. If our up-and-coming athletes are not well-rewarded financially, they could easily leave the sport and pursue higher education in an effort to earn more money. So only those who are really committed to their sport will stay on and try to reach the elite level.

Hong Kong has a large number of sports fans but they are being short-changed.

Imagine a time when we can celebrate our heroes in a variety of sports! It won’t happen overnight. It will need a concerted effort from all sections of society to make that dream come true.

M. J. Premaratne, Sub-editor

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