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Nine up-and-coming athletes have been nominated by their respective National Sports Associations for the A.S. Watson Group/Hong Kong Sports Institute Outstanding Junior Athlete Awards after their brilliant performance achieved in the fourth quarter of 2005.

Presented by the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) with the sponsorship of the A.S. Watson Group, as well as the support from the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) and the Hong Kong Sports Press Association (HKSPA), the Awards scheme aims to recognise the achievement of local junior athletes on a quarterly basis.

Among the nominees, three have been crowned the title before, including badminton player Yip Pui-yin, squash player Leung Shin-nga and triathlete Chan Ye-ko.

18-year-old Yip Pui-yin finished fifth in the ladies' singles at the 2005 Wilson Chinese Taipei Open held in November. The event featured promising shuttlers from 12 countries. 12-year-old Cheung Ngan-yi, being the youngest nominee of this quarter, finished third in the girls' singles at the Cheers Youth International Badminton Championships held in Singapore in December.

Leung Shin-nga, 16, got her championship in the girls' singles after defeating top junior players from 13 countries at the Scottish Junior Open held in December.

Triathletes Chan Ye-ko and Cheung Ting-yan won a silver medal in male elite junior and a gold medal in female elite junior respectively at the 2005 Hong Kong ITU Triathlon Asian Cup in October.

Table Tennis player Lee Ho-ching, 13, came third in the girls' doubles and steered Asian team to win a silver medal at the ITTF World Cadet Challenge & Junior Circuit Final held in Dominica Republic. Yeung Chi-ka, 17, helped the women's team to clinch a gold medal at the 4^th INAS-FID World Table Tennis Championships held in France in October.

Equest Charlotte Morse, 18, came second in the women's individual event of the show jumping at the FEI Southeast Asian World Cup League Final held in Malaysia. Tennis player Chan Wing-yau, 16, won a gold medal in the ladies' singles at the $10,000 Manila Competition held in November.

A prize presentation will be held next week at the HKSI. Each recipient will be rewarded a cash prize HK$2,500, sports gears voucher worth HK$2,500 and a certificate of merit.

You are cordially invited to cover the event with details as follows: