Unlike a swimming pool, there are no lanes in Victoria Harbour. To complete the Cross Harbour Swim in past, Amateur Swimming Association Secretary Ronnie Wong recently told news.gov.hk he needed to set a clear course to get him safely across the waterway.
He said the same principle of setting a clear target is also applicable to furthering Hong Kong's sports development, such as by reintroducing the classic harbour swim event.
Mr Wong won the race three times before its suspension in 1979. The association is now working to have it reintroduced next October.
Sport brings social cohesion
Mr Wong said back in the 1960s when he participated in the harbour swim there was no official sports subvention scheme to subsidise athletes in attending overseas events.
Athletes bore their own travel expenses, so the association would help swimmers by organising fund-raising activities.
"The public would sponsor an athlete, such as by donating a dollar for every hundred metres the athlete swam."
Although the community was not as wealthy then as it is today, Mr Wong said the events were greeted with great social enthusiasm, with the cash raised enabling swimmers to compete.
"Each athlete could raise up to $4,000, which was a large amount of money in the '60s."
More than a sports event
The money allowed Mr Wong to compete in two Olympic Games and three Asian Games in the '60s. He said joining an international sports event is a lot more than just another competition.
Mr Wong said young athletes get the chance to enhance their communication skill at international events, which provide an excellent platform for cultural exchange.
"When I took part in multi-sport games, what I enjoyed most was the exchange of ideas. In the Olympic village, there would be a lot of common areas and entertainment facilities for athletes from different countries to come together."
'Don't politicise sport'
Mr Wong said he will never forget his participation in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, which were overshadowed by the infamous terrorist attack in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed.
Only 20 years old at the time, Mr Wong and his Hong Kong colleagues shared the same building as the Israelis in the Olympic village.
"I was with a judo athlete and a fencing athlete. We told the terrorists we were Chinese and they let us leave."
The incident reminded him sport should not get entangled with political issues.
"Sport is sport. We should have a macro view of sport and not mingle it with other considerations."
Long-term objective
Mr Wong said hosting international events will bring many benefits to Hong Kong.
"Look at Doha, nobody even know where it was before they hosted the Asian Games in 2006. Now international meetings take place there and Doha has become an international city."
Mr Wong said swimmers have insufficient training facilities because Hong Kong has too few public pools. He emphasised the importance of having a clear target in the planning and establishing of sports facilities.
"Some facilities do not have enough space to be a venue for international competition. We should build facilities on par with international standards. Hong Kong is an international city and is prominent in Asia, but in the aspect of sport, it lags behind its counterparts. I hope Hong Kong can catch up with the world in this aspect."
