News

Sponsored by ZESPRI^®, the world’s largest exporter of a premium brand of New Zealand kiwifruit, four up-and-coming athletes and recipients of the ZESPRI^® Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards in 2009 experienced an unforgettable sports and cultural exchange tour to New Zealand between 26 March and 1 April.

The deserving four who were selected for the seven-day, six-night exchange tour were table tennis players Lee Ho-ching and Ng Wing-nam, swimmer Kong Man-yi and wushu athlete Fung Wing-see.  During the tour, they visited sports facilities including Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and the Millennium Institute of Sport & Health and also met coaches and athletes including Moss Burmester, current Commonwealth record holder of the men’s 200M butterfly.  In addition, the athletes were able to visit a kiwifruit orchard as well as the ZESPRI^® kiwifruit packhouse, a kiwi conservation centre, etc. 

Kong Man-yi, who is preparing for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympics to be held in August, said meeting with local athletes and gaining an understanding of the structure of local sports organisations was unforgettable.  “We chatted with some university student athletes in a dinner gathering to get to know their training lives.  Their feedback inspired me to value the role of sports in my life,” she said.

Lee Ho-ching and Ng Wing-nam were inspired by the cultivation process of kiwifruit and the local breathtaking scenery.  Lee said, “I was very surprised to learn that kiwifruit is one of the most nutritious fruits.  I am grateful to ZESPRI^® for offering us the invaluable experience of seeing a world outside the table tennis court!”

Ng Wing-nam added, “New Zealand is such a beautiful place that I wish time could have been frozen while we were there.  It was also very interesting to learn about Maori culture and kiwi.”

Fung Wing-see, who will take part in the 4th World Junior Wushu Championships to be held in Singapore in December, said she felt fully charged by the exchange tour after the intense school examination period.  “As a first-time visitor to New Zealand, everything is new to me,” Fung said. “The most impressive thing to me was the close contact with sheep.  Also, understanding the training schedules and methods of local athletes also broadened my perspective.”  

Kelvin Bezuidenhout, Market Manager of ZESPRI International (Asia) Limited, said, “ZESPRI^® is delighted to be able to make this New Zealand tour happen.  The athletes were excited not only to learn about how kiwifruit is grown, but also how New Zealand athletes are trained.  It is also a valuable experience for young athletes from Hong Kong and New Zealand to have such an exchange.  All of them came away with very different perspectives on sport and life.”

The ZESPRI^® Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards are organised by the HKSI and sponsored by ZESPRI^®, with support from the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China and the Hong Kong Sports Press Association.  They recognise the achievements of outstanding local junior athletes under the age of 19 on a quarterly basis.