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Organised by the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), the Sports for Hope Foundation (SFHF) Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards (OJAA) presentation ceremony for the 2^nd quarter of 2013 was held today at the HKSI to pay tribute to nine junior athletes who have performed outstandingly in the past quarter.

Officiating guests were Mr Karl Kwok MH, Vice-President of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC); Mr Tony Yue MH JP, Vice-President of the SF&OC; Mr Raymond Chiu, Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Press Association (HKSPA) and Miss Marie-Christine Lee, founder of the SFHF.

The recipients this quarter include Chang Ngai-hing and Yeung Chi-ka (fencing), Choi Uen-shan and Ho Ka-po (squash), Doo Hoi-kem and Lam Siu-hang (table tennis), Chong Eudice Wong and Ip Cheng (tennis) and Tang Nikki (athletics- Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped, HKSAM).

Fencer Chang Ngai-hing made history by claiming the women’s sabre individual (cadet) world title at the World Junior & Cadet Fencing Championships 2013 held in Croatia.  Having defeated 63 fencers from 27 countries, Chang is the first Hong Kong fencer to win an individual world championship.  Her path to the title has not been easy.  Sixteen-year-old Chang made her first appearance at the World Junior & Cadet Fencing Championships in April and became one of the eight quarter-finalists.  In the quarter-final, she stunned Hungary’s top seed fencer, who is a head taller than her, to guarantee Hong Kong's first medal in the event.  She finally won the title after beating Theodora Goudoura of Greece in an excitingly close final and became Hong Kong’s first athlete to win gold in the event.

Squash player Ho Ka-po, women’s world number one on the World Squash Federation World Junior Circuit Rankings, received the Award for the eighth time.  Ho beat 20 competitors to win a gold medal in the girls’ under 19 event at the 20^th Asian Junior Individual Championships in Jordan.  At the same competition, Ho’s teammate Choi Uen-shan won the girls under 17 event and was also named as one of the awardees.

Table tennis player Doo Hoi-kem, shared the limelight with Ho by winning the OJAA title for the eighth time.  Doo excelled at the 2013 Egypt Junior and Cadet Open by bagging 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze in the junior girls’ singles event, team event and doubles event respectively.  She thanked her parents and coaches for the support they have given to her over the years.   Fourteen-year-old track and field athlete Tang Nikki participated in the 2013 9^th INAS World Athletics Championships and captured the silver medal in the 4x100m relay race, defeating teams from seven countries.

In addition, Luk Wing-yi (cycling) and Choi Wa-kit (swimming-HKSAM) were awarded the Certificate of Merit for their excellent performances.  Luk participated in the Pokalendrunde NRW 2013 (NRW Cups Finals 2013) and came fifth in the indoor cycling junior WU1.  With a total score of 107.70 points, she broke Hong Kong’s record of 100.63 points and raised the bar for other young Hong Kong cyclists.  She said, “I never thought I would be chosen.  The Award has given me a lot of encouragement and I will keep working hard.  Hopefully I will become one of the top ten finalists in world championships and be named Asian’s number one female cyclist.”

Organised by the HKSI and sponsored by the Sports for Hope Foundation since 2012, with support from the SF&OC and the HKSPA, the OJAA recognises the achievements of outstanding local junior athletes under the age of 19 on a quarterly basis.  Each recipient is presented with a cash prize of HK$2,500, a voucher worth HK$2,500 and a certificate.

Awardees' Achievements in the 2^nd Quarter (PDF)