The delegation of Chinese mainland Olympians from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games held a press conference in Hong Kong on Thursday, announcing their upcoming activities during their three-day visit to the region.
The delegation, led by the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) President Gao Zhidan, includes 65 athletes and eight coaches representing 16 sports. Among the 60 gold medalists from the Paris Olympics, all are participating in the visit except Zheng Qinwen, who is currently competing at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York.
At the press conference, Olympians expressed their hope for friendly exchanges with all sectors in Hong Kong.
Olympic table tennis champion Fan Zhendong was thrilled to visit Hong Kong for the first time during this momentous occasion.
"This is my first time to visit Hong Kong and participate in such exchange activities with the delegation. I am very happy. I also hope that in the following days, I, together with the delegation, can have a very friendly and close interaction with people from all walks of life in Hong Kong," said Fan.
Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei, who won medals in all six of her events at the Paris Olympic Games, said that swimming has taught her how to overcome difficulties.
"It's fair to say that I'm quite familiar with Hong Kong. When I competed here in the past, I tried local delicacies such as shrimp dumplings and barbecued pork buns. Swimming has taught me what kind of mentality I should have when facing a difficulty. When facing more difficulties, what attitude I should use to face them," said Zhang.
Olympic athlete representatives are also looking forward to share their stories and experience with people from all walks of life during their tour.
"It is a great honor for me to join the Chinese delegation and visit Hong Kong for the fourth time. This time, I hope to have more opportunities to communicate with young people in Hong Kong. I believe it will be a special memory in my career," said Ma Long, table tennis team champion who is widely regarded as one of the greatest table tennis players of all time.
"I think if you have a passion, just go for it, and don't be afraid of failure. I'm very grateful that people like me so much," said Chinese diving teenage star Quan Hongchan.
During the stay in Hong Kong, the group will attend three public events. Over 5,000 tickets for all three events were sold out in around half an hour after going on sale.
They will leave on Saturday to start a similar visit to Macao.
Chinese mainland Olympians meet Hong Kong press
