The 16th Asian Games have kicked off in Guangzhou, and as it is likely to be his last Asian Games, table tennis star Ko Lai-chak is hoping to win another medal for Hong Kong, which he describes as his "lucky land".
Ko and his long-time doubles partner Li Ching are tactically not playing together in Guangzhou – Ko plays in the singles in the men's team event, while Li pairs up with Cheung Yuk in the doubles.
Before leaving for Guangzhou, Ko told news.gov.hk rival teams are too familiar with the Ko-Li pair, so a Li-Cheung combination will bring a surprise.
Despite not playing together, Ko and Li share the same goal – to perform their best at the games and win medals for Hong Kong. Li added there is a spark between him and Cheung, but does not yet know if he shares the same chemistry with Ko.
Dream team
The Ko-Li pair won silver in the 2004 Athens Olympics, followed by gold in the Doha Asian Games two years later, an unforgettable moment.
"Of course the Olympics medal is a bigger honour but the Asian Games gold medal is the more memorable one to us," Ko said.
Li said: "The final was unforgettable. We were in our peak form and were unbeatable all the way through. We were able to beat the Mainland's strong pair Ma Lin and Chen Qi. We were speechless after the victory."
Hong Kong unsuccessfully bid to host the 2006 Asian Games, leaving the players wondering what it would have been like to win gold at home.
"If the 2006 Asian Games was hosted by Hong Kong and we won the gold medal, it would be a big boost to us and the whole community," Li said.
Both Li and Ko are glad they made the decision to come to Hong Kong as they believe they would have been forced to retire a long time ago if they had stayed on the Mainland. They now declare Hong Kong as their "lucky land".
Although they do not play together as much as before, they hope to pair up again by coaching the Hong Kong team and training more local players.
Rising star
One of the more prominent upcomers is Chiu Chung-hei, who won two gold medals at the Spanish Youth Open and a bronze at the Asian Youth Championships last year, a boys' singles gold medal at the Argentine Youth Open in June, as well as a gold, a silver and a bronze in last month's Asian Pupils' Championships in Vietnam.
Chiu got to play with President Hu Jiantao when the latter visited Hong Kong in 2007, and he was the youngest torchbearer in the Hong Kong-leg of the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch relay.
The student took a year off school last year to train and compete in Guangzhou. Now back in Hong Kong he goes to school until 3pm when he has to start training at the Hong Kong Sports Institute in Sha Tin until 6pm. He is grateful for the support from his parents, school and teachers who tutor him during lunch breaks.
Bidding strongly advised
While having his heart set on competing in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he hopes Hong Kong can host the 2023 Asian Games.
"I will only be 29 years old in 2023 and I believe I'll still be playing. I will try even harder if I'll be playing in front of my home crowd," he said.
As elite athletes, Ko and Li believe hosting the Asian Games will help develop sport in Hong Kong. Ko said focus should not be put on money but on supporting the next generation.
"There are still 13 years to go. Although there are many social issues to solve at this stage, things may change for the better in 10-years' time. By then we may regret it if we do not [bid for the games]."
