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Organised by the HKSI, sponsored by the Sports for Hope Foundation (SFHF) and supported by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) and the Hong Kong Sports Press Association (HKSPA), the Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards (OJAA) Presentation Ceremony for the 1^st quarter of 2019 was held at the HKSI today. A total of 7 junior athletes were presented the OJAA for their excellent performance and a kick-off ceremony was also staged to mark the beginning of the 2019 edition.

The awardees were Lai Yan-hei and Cade Wright (Athletics); Chan Pak-hei and Sophia Wu (Fencing); Chan Sin-yuk (Squash); and Chan Long-tin and Chan Yui-lam (Swimming - Hong Kong Sports Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability (HKSAPID)).

Officiating guests included Mr Pui Kwan-kay SBS MH and Ms Vivien Lau BBS JP, Vice-Presidents of the SF&OC; Ms Anna Qin, Executive Member of the SFHF; Mr Raymond Chiu and Miss Chui Wai-wah, Vice Chairmen of the HKSPA; and Mr Ron Lee, Director of Community Relations and Marketing of the HKSI.

Fencers Sophia Wu and Chan Pak-hei lifted their debut OJAA title by winning a silver and a bronze medal in the Women’s Foil (Cadet) and Men’s Foil (Cadet) respectively at the Asian Junior & Cadet Fencing Championships. Joining hands with her senior counterparts, Wu also helped bring home a bronze medal in the Women’s Foil Team at the newly concluded 2019 Asian Fencing Championships. Both athletes thanked the organisers for recognising their effort, and they will continue to strive for better result in the future.

HKSAPID swimmers Chan Yui-lam and Chan Long-tin were named OJAA by their outstanding performance at Melbourne 2019 World Para Swimming World Series.  Yui-lam won one gold and one bronze medal in the Women’s 100m Butterfly and Women’s 200m Individual Medley while Long-tin got a bronze medal in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley. Both swimmers were thrilled to be awarded the title and have set their target for winning a berth at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Ng Cheuk-yin was awarded the Certificate of Merit in this quarter by his record-breaking achievement in the Boy’s 15-17 years old 200m Backstroke at the Hong Kong Age Group Short Course Swimming Championships. To realise his dream of representing Hong Kong at the Asian Games, Ng will keep on enhancing his skills and physical fitness by participating in more international competitions, such as the World Cup Season and FINA World Championships.

In addition, Xie Wing-lam and Yu Ka-po (Kart); and Shek Cheuk-ying (Tennis) were awarded the Certificate of Merit for this quarter for their hard work.

Organised by the HKSI, 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 sports voucher worth HK$2,500 and a certificate. For teams, they will receive a cash award of HK$10,000, a sport voucher worth HK$10,000 and certificates.

Being the Government’s designated organisation to provide the high performance training system for eligible sports, the HKSI is committed to provide an environment in which sports talent can be identified, nurtured, and developed to pursue excellence in the international sporting arena and to inspire potential athletes to pursue a full-time sports career.