Why Hong Kong could see boom in athletics for veterans who want to keep on competing
Hong Kong's community of 'masters' athletes has been tipped to grow after the city brought home bagfuls of medals from the past two global championships.
Advertisement
And Colin Whittington, chairman of the Athletics Veterans of Hong Kong, predicted that the numbers of these veterans will only continue to rise as the public becomes more aware of the need to stay fit and healthy as they get older.
Whittington also expected to see the city sending a large team to the next World Masters Athletics Championships (WMAC) in Daegu next year.
WMAC are the biennial championships for masters athletics – aged 35 or above – which is divided into five-year age groups. For example, the M35 group is for male athletes aged 35 to 39 years while the W40 group is for female athletes between the ages of 40 and 44, and so on.
At the latest indoor edition in Gainesville, Florida last month, four Hongkongers – Aldo Kriel, Max Siu Yau-ming, Grace Tong and Ivy Mok Oi-yee – competed, and returned with three medals.
Advertisement
Siu pocketed bronze in the men's triple jump (70-74) with a 9.48-metre jump while Kriel added two more bronze medals in the men's 45-to-49 group, crossing the finish line in 23.68 seconds in the 200m and recording a 6.05m leap in the long jump.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
08-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
Why Hong Kong could see boom in athletics for veterans who want to keep on competing
Hong Kong's community of 'masters' athletes has been tipped to grow after the city brought home bagfuls of medals from the past two global championships. Advertisement And Colin Whittington, chairman of the Athletics Veterans of Hong Kong, predicted that the numbers of these veterans will only continue to rise as the public becomes more aware of the need to stay fit and healthy as they get older. Whittington also expected to see the city sending a large team to the next World Masters Athletics Championships (WMAC) in Daegu next year. WMAC are the biennial championships for masters athletics – aged 35 or above – which is divided into five-year age groups. For example, the M35 group is for male athletes aged 35 to 39 years while the W40 group is for female athletes between the ages of 40 and 44, and so on. At the latest indoor edition in Gainesville, Florida last month, four Hongkongers – Aldo Kriel, Max Siu Yau-ming, Grace Tong and Ivy Mok Oi-yee – competed, and returned with three medals. Advertisement Siu pocketed bronze in the men's triple jump (70-74) with a 9.48-metre jump while Kriel added two more bronze medals in the men's 45-to-49 group, crossing the finish line in 23.68 seconds in the 200m and recording a 6.05m leap in the long jump.
South China Morning Post
25-03-2025
- South China Morning Post
England's routine World Cup qualifying win, Osaka out, Raducanu through in Miami
The big sporting news for Hongkongers on Monday night was Coleman Wong's historic third-round clash with Adam Walton at the Miami Open. Advertisement But you can read all about what happened in that one here We're going to take a look at the rest of the sporting headlines, starting with Thomas Tuchel's second match in charge of England. Book your flights England are unbeaten in World Cup qualification since they were beaten 1-0 by Ukraine in 2009 – having at that point already qualified for South Africa. Harry Kane scores England's second in their 3-0 win over Latvia. Photo: EPA Can you see that run being under threat here? Unlikely. England eased to a 3-0 victory over Latvia with a 3-0 victory at Wembley. Reece James gave Tuchel's side a first-half lead with a superb free-kick before Harry Kane netted his second in two matches and Eberechi Eze scored his first England goal with 14 minutes remaining. It was uninspiring but it will surely get England to the 2026 World Cup stress-free. Advertisement The result leaves England top of Group K on six points with their most likely challengers, Serbia, yet to kick their campaign off.
South China Morning Post
16-03-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong breakdancers aim to move and spin city's scene to a global stage, Asian Games
Breakdancers Sze Kwong-yik and Lai Tsz-kin share a bold dream: they want Hongkongers to one day link breaking to their names, much like the city associates fencing with Cheung Ka-long. Sze, known as B-boy Sosze, and Lai, known as B-boy Child Kin, are part of a group of Hong Kong breakers striving to showcase the city's talent on a global stage. 'My biggest hope for Team Hong Kong isn't necessarily to become world champions,' said 29-year-old Sze, who has been breaking for nearly 18 years. He is one of six male breakdancers on the Hong Kong team striving for a spot in the 2026 Asian Games. 'I just want people to know Hong Kong has its own B-boys and B-girls.' Contrary to negative stereotypes about the sport, Sze noted that it could be a lifeline for some Hong Kong youth. 'Street dance didn't lead us astray,' he said. 'Breaking gave us focus; it kept us grounded.' He added: 'It channelled our energy into something positive – a sport, a dance, a way to grow. It taught us discipline and life lessons we'd never have learned otherwise.' For Lai, a 24-year-old B-boy who started breaking at 11, the sport is more than just a performance. 'Breaking also represents my existence; it's become a defining part of who I am,' he said. Hong Kong's B-girls changing up the city's male-dominated breakdancing scene How local breakers learn from a global stage With intricate footwork, power moves and head spins, more than 100 breakdancers from 20 countries came together for a showdown at Hong Kong's largest breakdancing event earlier this month. Organised by Hong Kong-based UTLR852 Breaking Club, the competition featured judges such as Olympic gold medallist Philip Kim, also known as Phil Wizard, as well as Rie Fukushima, Team Japan's head coach for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 'Under the Lion's Rock [UTLR] captures the essence of the breaking scene, highlighting its artistic and cultural side, unlike other events,' said Kim, 28. The competition, 'UTLR2025: The Comeback Kidz', offered a platform for B-boys and B-girls from around the world to connect and battle, while elevating Hong Kong's breaking scene to an international level. Sze noted that the event provided a valuable chance for local breakers to learn from international dancers – without competitions like this one, Hong Kong's breaking community could feel isolated. 'Sometimes we only see other B-boys and B-girls from different places on YouTube,' he said. 'Many of these international dancers – some of them world champions – are on another level. We can absorb so much from them.' Philip Kim, who competes as Phil Wizard, was a judge at 'UTLR2025: The Comeback Kidz'. Photo: Handout The power of breakdancing The Paris Games marked the debut of breaking at the Olympics. With its origins in New York's African-American and Latino-American communities in the 1970s, this competitive dance form has come a long way. Lai noted how public perception of breaking had changed since the sport had earned global recognition. 'People used to think breakers were troublemakers,' he said. 'Now, people see breakers differently, recognising them as teachers and Olympic athletes. There's more attention, support and respect for what we do.' Lai said he stumbled upon breaking in junior secondary school. He was playing hide-and-seek in a park in Tuen Mun when he spotted a group of teenagers spinning on their heads. 'Everyone has their own style, and the way you dance says, 'This is me.' That's what makes it so challenging – and why I'm still passionate about it,' he said. Chinese female skateboarder proves longboarding isn't just for guys Sze first got into breaking thanks to an online dance battle game called Audition Online. 'I saw these cartoon characters spinning so impressively, and I thought, 'There's no way real people can do that,'' he recalled. Then, he came across Lollipop, a famous Taiwanese boy band which had breakdancers. 'Seeing them spin just as amazingly made me realise it was possible, and that's what sparked my interest,' he said. 'We use different parts of our bodies to create movements – things you'd never do in everyday life,' he said, adding, 'Creating new moves ... that creativity is what's kept me breaking ever since.' A place for breakdancers in Hong Kong Jessica Siu Yue-pui, the organiser and founder of Under the Lion's Rock, is dedicated to uplifting Hong Kong's breaking scene. She is also one of six female breakers vying to represent the city at the coming Asian Games. From a young age, Siu faced a chronic illness, and doctors warned that it could leave her paralysed from the waist down. 'I love breaking, but I feared losing my ability to walk,' she recalled. 'I wanted to find another way to contribute to the scene.' Thus, Under the Lion's Rock is Siu's way of giving back to the local breaking scene and helping it thrive. She is also a former vice-president of the Hong Kong DanceSport Association's breaking division and has organised competitions worldwide. She acknowledged the limits many aspiring breakers face in the city but said she hoped the public could show more support for this form of culture. 'I hope one day B-boys and B-girls can pursue breaking as full-time dancers,' she said. 'I also want Hongkongers to better understand this culture – it's helped me grow as a person.' Stop and think: What negative ideas might the public have about breakdancing? How are these changing? Why this story matters: Amid Hong Kong's recent Olympic wins in fencing and swimming, other local athletes – such as breakdancers – hope to show their abilities on a global stage while inspiring youth to see the transformative power of these sports.
