69 PolyU students and alumni take part in the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou while rehabilitation experts provide support to national athletes and conduct applied research

With the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou approaching, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) will send a strong delegation of 69 students and alumni to compete in 20 sports, including swimming, water polo, athletics, fencing, archery and artistic gymnastics. It is the largest PolyU delegation for an Asian Games. We know the PolyU athletes will try their best and strive for excellence to win Asian Games glory for Hong Kong.

PolyU has long been supportive of whole-person education and sports development. The Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Scheme, which was established in 1998, has admitted over 1,600 elite athletes to various full-time undergraduate programmes. The University also offers the Elite Athletes Study Programme in partnership with the Hong Kong Sports Institute, and participates in the Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme to further support young athletes in achieving both academic and sporting excellence.

Additionally, PolyU and the Center for Weight Lifting, Wrestling and Judo of the General Administration of Sport of China (the Center) signed a Memorandum of Understanding and an agreement last month to conduct the project “Rehabilitation strategies in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics”. Under the collaborative agreement, PolyU will provide rehabilitation services to the Center, and the Center will assist in conducting applied research focusing on raising exercise performance in order to enhance athletes’ performance and prevent injuries.

In order to promote athlete performance and reduce the possibility of injuries, a team led by Prof. Amy FU, Peter Hung Professor in Pain Management, Associate Head and Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences of PolyU, will provide rehabilitation services to national athletes in the National Olympic Sports Center in Beijing and other training locations. The team is responsible for formulating a sports recovery research plan, exploring recovery strategies for fatigue and overload strain caused by exercise, and fully preparing the national judo team for the coming Asian Games Hangzhou and Paris Olympics next year.

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