Kenneth Fok, a Deputy of the HKSAR to the National People's Congress and Legislative Council member, recently revealed in an interview that the Hong Kong, China Olympic Academy, which he chairs, has invited Olympic table tennis champion Ma Long to visit HK on March 20. The visit aims to inspire young people by leveraging sports as a platform to spread positive energy.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University confirmed Ma Long's participation through a social media post on March 18.
Ma Long will attend a forum titled "A Glamorous Transformation in Sports: The Next Level", scheduled for the morning of March 20. Other notable guests at the event include Kenneth Fok, HK women's swimming athletes Stephanie Au and Yvette Kong.
Fok emphasized that the nation places great importance on youth initiatives, with sports being an excellent medium for engaging young people. He highlighted the tradition of national athletes visiting HK and Macao after each Olympic Games to interact with local residents, demonstrating the nation's care and attention toward HK.
By inviting Ma Long to HK, the Academy hopes to use sports as a bridge to convey positive energy to young people. Fok stressed that the 30th anniversary of HK's return to the motherland is a significant milestone. He aims to seize this opportunity to organize meaningful events that integrate the fighting spirit of sports with national education and youth development, providing continuous motivation for HK's youth to actively participate in the nation's development.
Although HK boasts outstanding athletes and state-of-the-art sports facilities, Fok noted challenges such as limited population and market size. He highlighted the Greater Bay Area (GBA), with its population of 80 million, as a key to HK's long-term sports development.
Fok proposed creating regional leagues and sports intellectual property with GBA cities. He pointed out that HK cannot rely solely on hosting international events to drive economic growth, but must cultivate its own sports IP, which could one day even sell its rules and formats globally as a significant achievement.
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