Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (front row, center) poses for group photos with dignitaries and and members of the Hong Kong, China delegation to the Tokyo Olympic Games at a welcome ceremony for the delegation at the Xiqu Centre of the West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong, on Aug 19, 2021. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor led government officials on Thursday in welcoming home the Hong Kong, China Delegation to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Lam officiated at the welcome ceremony, co-organized by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, at the Xiqu Centre of the West Kowloon Cultural District.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam praised all the athletes for their strenuous efforts in the Games and their display of unwavering determination and perseverance as well as Hong Kong's can-do spirit
She also presented certificates of commendation to the Hong Kong athletes who participated in the Games.
Lam said that the Hong Kong athletes displayed their extraordinary capability at the Tokyo Olympic Games and achieved the city's best results in history, with a number of athletes breaking Hong Kong records or their own records in the competitions, thrilling Hong Kong people.
The Hong Kong Delegation won a total of six medals–one gold, two silver and three bronze medals–in fencing, swimming, table tennis, karate and track cycling.
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Lam praised all the athletes for their strenuous efforts in the Games and their display of unwavering determination and perseverance as well as Hong Kong's can-do spirit.
She said that the HKSAR government has been proactively allocating resources to develop elite sports in the past decade or so, and that it will continue efforts to further its support for sports development.
Its initiatives include enhancing facilities for training athletes; establishing a fund to enhance the competitiveness of athletes; strengthening participation in sports and its development at the school level; boosting support for elite athletes' dual career development in sports and academic pursuits and promoting the development of the sports industry, Lam said.
Also present at the reception were Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai; President of the SF&OC Timothy Fok Tsun-ting; Honorary Secretary General of the SF&OC Ronnie Wong Man-chiu; Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Vincent Liu Ming-kwong; and Chef de Mission of the Hong Kong, China Delegation to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Pui Kwan-kay.
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The HKSAR government and the SF&OC also arranged a bus parade for the Hong Kong athletes on Thursday morning, with members of the public cheering and greeting the Olympians.