PolyU admits 13 outstanding athletes through SALSA Scheme to support their dual-track development in sports and academic pursuits on all fronts

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) places a strong emphasis on providing holistic education and supports the dual-track development of student-athletes in sports and academic pursuits. This year, PolyU has admitted 13 outstanding athletes through the Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA) who will embark on their undergraduate studies in the 2024/25 academic year and get prepared for the future.

The newly admitted student-athletes have achieved remarkable results representing Hong Kong in international and regional tournaments in sports that include athletics, equestrian, fencing, football, judo, squash, table tennis, triathlon and wushu. They will be enrolled on a wide range of undergraduate programmes, including Applied Social Sciences; English and Applied Linguistics; Nursing; Optometry; Radiography and Physiotherapy.

Prof. Kwok-yin WONG, PolyU Vice President (Education), welcomed the 13 student-athletes to the University and said, “PolyU is committed to providing holistic education and encourages students to develop varied abilities. We hope student-athletes are able to apply the determination to go beyond own limits in their academic pursuit as in competition and motivate their PolyU peers to constantly demonstrate excellence.”

Hong Kong Premier League player POON Pui Hin, who scored the decisive goal in the men’s quarter-finals of the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou and led the Hong Kong team to make a historic run into the semi-finals is admitted to PolyU in the coming academic year. Now focusing on the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, he believes language-related knowledge and communication skills will propel his career growth, thereby choosing to study English and Applied Linguistics. He said, “Despite the demanding schedule of matches and training, I am confident that I can balance my football career and academic development with the ample support provided by PolyU. I will endeavour to bring glory to Hong Kong once again.”

Squash athlete LEUNG Ka Huen, who bagged a silver medal in the girls’ team at the Asian Junior Squash Team Championships last year, will pursue the programme of Physiotherapy. After her experience of competing while injured, she has been drawn to the profession of physiotherapy and is determined to pursue a career in this field. “Knowing the course workload could be heavy, I am grateful for PolyU’s strong support and arrangement of a tutor to provide individualised support to address my needs in learning and other areas. This will enable me to remain focused on training while keeping up with my studies.”

Winning a gold medal at the Acropolis International Wushu Open Tournament and a silver medal at the Asian Junior Wushu Championships in the junior boy’s sanda category last year, wushu player TAI Lok Ming aspires to study Applied Social Sciences to become a social worker. He remarked, “I hope to enhance myself through my studies at PolyU, and utilise the knowledge gained from the programme to assist people in need.”

PolyU offers a number of scholarships to student-athletes every year, in recognition of their distinguished sporting achievements. Athletes admitted through the Scheme are awarded scholarships of up to HK$400,000. The University also provides them with residential college accommodation to drive their personal growth through hostel life, as well as a series of learning support opportunities including individual mentorship in their academic work, flexibility in learning and study assessments, and extension of study periods.

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