Fourteen student-athletes from PolyU took part in the Hong Kong 2009 East Asian Games in early Dec and triumphed with four gold, four silver and two bronze medals.

About 2,300 top athletes from nine countries and regions competed in the Fifth East Asian Games, which was the first large-scale multi-sport international event Hong Kong has ever hosted. The city’s 383-strong delegation competed in all 22 events and achieved their best-ever result in the Games by winning a total of 110 medals — 26 gold, 31 silver and 53 bronze.

The PolyU squad participated in six events, namely Athletics, Rowing, Rugby Sevens, Squash, Swimming and Volleyball. Although the students had to juggle with intensive training and semester examinations, they still managed to give impressive performances. Most outstanding are the squash player Annie Au Wing-chi and her younger brother Au Chun-ming. The two siblings together clinched four gold and two silver medals. Swimmer Yan Ho-chun also set a new Hong Kong record in Men’s 50m Butterfly Stroke.

The University is committed to fostering students’ all-round development and encourages their participation in various extra-curricular activities. In the event of students taking part in activities like the East Asian Games or overseas contests, special considerations are given to their leave requests. Teaching staff would also help students catch up with the lessons they have missed during the competitions.

The student-athletes’ outstanding performance in this year’s East Asian Games is expected to attract more students to take part in sports activities and also help them to have a better understanding of the different types of sports.

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