Welcome home reception for Hong Kong, China delegation to 19th Asian Games Hangzhou held today (with photos)

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) hosted a welcome home reception at Central Government Offices this afternoon (October 14) to congratulate home athletes of the Hong Kong, China Delegation on their triumphant return to the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou (Asian Games) and praise their performance in the Games, as well as expressing gratitude to the coaches and medical teams for their contributions.

     Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, said that the outstanding performance is the outcome of athletes' efforts, and at the same time, reflecting that the Government is on the right track in allocating resources for sports development. The Government's estimated expenditure on sports development in 2023-24 is around $7.4 billion, representing an increase of about 40 per cent as compared to five years ago and the focus on promotion is in five aspects, namely to promote sports in the community, support elite sports, promote Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, professionalism in the sports sector and development of sports as an industry.

     The Asian Games was held in Hangzhou between September 23 and October 8. The Hong Kong, China Delegation has sent a total of 680 athletes, whose remarkable achievements in winning a total of 53 medals, namely eight golds, 16 silvers and 29 bronzes, a record-breaking total attained by Hong Kong athletes in the Asian Games. Details of the medalists of the competition are set out in the Annex.
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     Also attending the reception today were the President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China SF&OC, Mr Timothy Fok; the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Acting Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR, Mr Li Yongsheng; the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung; the Chef de Mission of the Hong Kong, China Delegation to the Asian Games, Mr Kenneth Fok; the Permanent Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Joe Wong; the Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau; and the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu.