PolyU admits sports talents through the Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to promoting a sporting culture on campus, and providing full support to elite student-athletes to achieve both sports and academic aspirations. From the academic year 2022/23 onwards, PolyU will support the Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA) to provide opportunities for student-athletes who are eligible to represent Hong Kong in significant international competitions with remarkable achievements in sports to pursue their undergraduate studies at PolyU.

Swimmer Tinky HO Nam Wai, who represented Hong Kong to compete in the 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and sprinter LEUNG Kwan Yi, who took part in the 100m competition at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, have been admitted into PolyU’s Faculty of Humanities undergraduate programmes.

Tinky Ho has competed for Hong Kong in many international swimming competitions and is also the city’s record holder in 1500m Freestyle and 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay. Reflecting on her admission into PolyU’s Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Programme in English and Applied Linguistics this year, she said, “Balancing studies and sports life could be challenging, but that does not undermine my anticipation for university experience. I am confident that with the support of PolyU and my coaches, I will continue to improve my performance and achieve academic and swimming success.”

Sprinter Leung Kwan Yi, who has competed for Hong Kong at the Asian Games in Jakarta, has been admitted into PolyU’s Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Programme in Linguistics and Translation, and said SALSA has enabled her to realise her dream of entering university, “I am grateful for this opportunity from PolyU, which will enable me to excel in both academia and sports. I will leverage the qualities I have as an athlete in order to push myself towards my goal of achieving excellent results in my studies.”

PolyU offers more than 200 scholarships to student-athletes every year to recognise their distinguished sports achievements. In addition, PolyU provides residential college accommodation to student-athletes to aid their development through hostel life. Athletes admitted through the SALSA Scheme will receive a scholarship of up to HK$100,000 as well as other forms of support from PolyU, including individual mentorship in their academic work, flexibility in learning and study assessments, extension of study periods and more, offering them flexibility between studies and personal life to facilitate their holistic development.

PolyU’s Vice President (Education) Professor Kwok-yin Wong welcomed the two elite athletes in joining the PolyU family and said, “PolyU has always put a strong emphasis on whole-person development. Throughout the years, we have offered various flexible admission schemes to offer study opportunities to students who demonstrate outstanding performance in non-academic areas. We hope students will receive high-quality education from PolyU and continue to unleash their potential and diverse strengths.”

The SALSA Scheme is currently open for applications until 31 March 2022. For details, please visit the website: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ar/student-athlete-learning-support-and-admission-scheme/.

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