Record Entry for Hong Kong Rowing Championships

Adaptive rowers at the Hong Kong Rowing Championships
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There was a record entry for the 24^th Hong Kong Rowing Championships which was held on the Shing Mun River in Shatin at the weekend. Over 400 local competitors and 60 overseas athletes took part in the annual event which traditionally marks the climax of the Hong Kong domestic rowing season. This year the regatta attracted crews from China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka giving the event a truly international favour.

A new event for 2002 was an Adaptive Rowing Competition featuring fours races combining able-bodied athletes and athletes with intellectual or physical disabilities. Over 50 competitors entered for this event delighting FISA Commission member, Ms. Ho Kim Fai.

“It’s really pleasing to see such a positive response, as this is the first time we have offered on-water adaptive events. We had an indoor rowing competition earlier in the year and this proved really popular, so it is a logical development for us to get out on the river too!”

A ceremony celebrating the inaugural Adaptive Rowing events in Hong Kong was presided over by IOC member, and local NOC President, Mr. Timothy Fok together with Hong Kong China Rowing Association President, Mr. Robert Wilson and Mrs. Laura Ling, Chairman of Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped. Amongst the athletes taking part were Paralympian, Mr. Chan Fu-sang – who recently won four gold medals in athletics at the FESPIC Games in Busan.

The organizers, Hong Kong China Rowing Association, also offered a Corporate Challenge event for teams from major local corporations and institutions. Entries included many well-known companies such as Cathay Pacific, PCCW and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation.