[Concurrent] Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council Member Fok Qigang
When I saw the handover ceremony on TV, I was still very moved.
At that moment, the British flag and the flag of the British Hong Kong government came down, and our five-star red flag was raised to sing (play) the national anthem. That moment was quite shocking.
[Explanation] Recalling the moment of Hong Kong's return in 1997, Fok Qigang, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is still deeply impressed.
At the age of 18, he took leave from the United Kingdom and returned to Hong Kong ahead of schedule. Together with his grandmother, he sat in front of the TV at home and watched the live broadcast. He also completed his "adult ceremony" in this way.
[Commentary] He has traveled to the mainland for exchanges since childhood, studied abroad for more than ten years, has been deeply involved in culture and sports for many years, and experienced the changes before and after the return of Hong Kong. These experiences have given Huo Qigang the opportunity to feel the development pulse of the country and Hong Kong from a unique perspective.
[Concurrent] Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council Member Fok Qigang
In the era before the handover, the resources of the (Hong Kong-British) government may not be sufficient for sports, especially the development of elite athletes.
But after the return, whether it is the investment of the (SAR) government, the enthusiasm of the citizens, or the society's attention to sports, it will gradually increase.
We only look at the number of sports or medals. From the first (gold medal) in 1996, we have achieved such good results in the Tokyo Olympics. This is not easy.
Therefore, in the past 25 years, it is enough to prove that with the support of the Hong Kong SAR government and various central departments, our overall sports development has made great progress.
[Explanation] With the active participation of Hong Kong athletes in international events in recent years and the continuous achievement of excellent results, Hong Kong society has also set off a "sports fever", and national sports have become popular in Hong Kong.
[Concurrent] Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council Member Fok Qigang
I feel that ordinary people in Hong Kong also love sports.
In the past ten or eight years, I have seen more people riding bicycles on the road, I have seen more people willing to go for long-distance running, I have seen more people willing to participate in some cross-sea swimming, etc. We now young people are starting to have fencing The boom, so I think there is still a big improvement in terms of gold medals or in terms of our national participation.
[Explanation] Fok Qigang believes that the current development of sports in Hong Kong is inseparable from the support of the SAR government and all sectors of society in terms of resources.
In the future, how to give full play to the advantages of Hong Kong's science and technology innovation and combine technology with sports is a major topic he attaches great importance to.
[Concurrent] Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council Member Fok Qigang
Our results are very good, but behind the results, we are actually supported by many years and many resources.
Including his (athlete's) equipment, his clothes, his helmet, not only the investment of the (SAR) government, but also the investment of some interested people in our society, there are some equipment such as wind tunnels, our University of Science and Technology The research team, in fact, the analysis of our data, it is calculated using supercomputers.
There is a huge technical team behind it.
[Explanation] In Fok Qigang's view, the outstanding achievements of Hong Kong athletes not only come from the efforts of all walks of life in Hong Kong, but also benefit from the strong support of the country.
[Concurrent] Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council Member Fok Qigang
One of our athletes is called Shi Weixiong.
From the very beginning, we gave him a training plan and went to the State Sports General Administration to train.
Because when he was in Hong Kong, he had the best grades.
But after he arrived in Beijing, in fact, his entire environment was a world champion, so he would naturally have a more active and challenging state to do (training), so he got very good results later.
It also depends on the mutual help of the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China. I think it is also important whether it is in training or the support among peers.
[Explanation] Huo Qigang said that the state has approved the co-hosting of the 2025 National Games by Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao SAR.
On the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the two places should seize the opportunity to hold more sports-themed exchange activities to promote social integration between the two places.
[Concurrent] Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council Member Fok Qigang
Sport is a bridge and a force, so to speak.
We, I really hope that means that we can use different forms to use sports to infect everyone, to unite everyone, and to make everyone have a common goal.
Fan Siyi and Luo Qianqian report from Hong Kong
Responsible editor: [Luo Pan]