The Laureus Hong Kong Flagship Week kicked off today (Nov. 5), with basketball legend Yao Ming, Olympic gymnastics champion Li Xiaopeng, and table tennis great Deng Yaping appearing together at a Hong Kong rugby pitch to personally coach schoolchildren from the Sport For Good programme.
Yao Ming, Li Xiaopeng and Deng Yaping took part in a training session, co-organised by Laureus and the Rugby For Good Foundation. The programme aims to help children with attention deficit issues develop emotional regulation skills and build positive peer relationships through non-contact rugby and experiential learning activities, thereby enhancing personal resilience and strengthening family relationships. Former England World Cup winner Nolli Waterman also took part, giving around 20 primary school students a rugby experience.
Yao Ming, a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, said sport had taught him not only how to cope with pressure and how to trust his teammates, but also how to pick himself up after a tough day. These valuable lessons extend far beyond the pitch, and the partnership between Laureus and the Rugby Growth Foundation is precisely about giving young people these tools.
With less than a year to go until the opening of the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup, the Hong Kong, China team will make its first-ever appearance at the World Cup and will face hosts Australia in the opening match on Oct. 1, 2027, before taking on Chile and New Zealand. Deng Yaping, also a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, said she was very excited about Hong Kong, China's first appearance at the Rugby World Cup next year, and that she deeply understood the enormous impact of appearing on the international top stage on promoting sport at the grassroots level. She was delighted to share that joy with the children of the Rugby Growth Foundation today, and believed they would certainly cheer enthusiastically for their team next year.
The Rugby Growth Foundation is Hong Kong's first sports-focused charity, dedicated to working with impact-driven organisations to provide innovative, play-based rugby programmes that promote personal growth and community development. Founded in 2013 with the support of Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR), it was formerly known as the Hong Kong Rugby Union Community Foundation (HKRUCF).
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