Feature: Chinese mainland Olympians share love, skills of sports with Hong Kong youth, disciplined services

HONG KONG, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) — Table tennis phenom Fan Zhendong, China’s household name, on Friday shared a heartening Olympic story with a crowd of hundreds of Hongkongers at Hong Kong’s Fire and Ambulance Services Academy.
“The Olympics enriched my life with meaning, where I enjoyed the process and made friends,” said Fan, the two-time Olympic gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Friday was day two of a series of meet-and-greet events by a visiting delegation of Olympic stars from the Chinese mainland and also the second time such a delegation meets with the disciplined and auxiliary services members.
After rousing applause and cheers from fans and officials in Hong Kong, a team of the visiting athletes entered the stadium of the academy onboard a double-decker at 9:00 a.m..
From demonstrating table tennis and boxing skills to sharing race walking tips and swimming techniques … the sports stars have shared beyond just the sports knowledge, but also their sentiments, experiences and stories revolving around the sports they have practiced for years.
“Hockey is a team sport where partners trust each other and work together for a goal. This is also the most attractive part of the sport for me,” said Ou Zixia, captain of the women’s hockey team who won a silver medal for the Chinese Olympic delegation in Paris.
“Everyone may encounter difficulties from time to time, but with peers’ support and encouragement, you will feel that there is always someone by your side, and that is the power of teamwork,” Ou said, hoping that more Hongkongers will fall in love with the sport through the delegation’s visit to Hong Kong.
Chris Tang Ping-keung, secretary for security of the HKSAR government, said the resilient and dedicated spirit of the Olympic athletes from the Chinese mainland is in line with the values of the disciplined services, hoping that the members of the disciplined services and youth uniformed groups can learn from and communicate more with the Olympic athletes.
“Hopefully you can feel our great respect and love for you,” Tang told these athletes, introducing them to the disciplined services. He then took a selfie with the visiting delegation. ■