Opinion | Sporting passion of Hongkongers is an inspiration
The enthusiasm of volunteers at the National Games, the energy of the city’s football fans and the dedication of unpaid coaches at the club level are truly impressive
The recent flurry of sporting events has thrown up a number of aspects which I found particularly inspiring. With much of the media focus on China’s 15th National Games naturally on the sporting contests, less attention was paid to the fact that the event could only have been successfully organised with the support of local volunteers.
They were trained, given uniforms and carried out important duties such as handling injuries, crowd management, guest reception, spectator services and logistical support. Without their unpaid efforts, Hong Kong’s first time as co-host could not have gone as smoothly.
The packed Kai Tak Stadium of nearly 50,000 was a cauldron of sound, the north stand in particular loud and proud. They ignored the rather insipid official slogans on display (“Cheer for us” and “This is our home”) and roared out their own anthem: “We are the Hong Kong boys, we’re gonna make some noise.”
I found this message very attractive. It made no attempt at political correctness – men and women of all ages and races were expected to, and did, sing it lustily – and it was in English. What could be more fitting for a multiethnic team in an international city.