Olympic fencing gold medallist Vivian Kong inspires PolyU’s community to pursue dreams with passion and perseverance

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to fostering whole-person education through diverse activities, including inviting accomplished leaders from the community to share their success stories, encouraging young people to embrace their aspirations and create their own futures. In line with this commitment, PolyU hosted the Dean of Students Talk Series: “Together We Dream, We Fly” today at the Jockey Club Auditorium. In particular, Ms Vivian KONG, a three-time Olympian who made history by winning Hong Kong’s first-ever fencing gold medal in women’s individual épée at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, was invited to deliver an inspirational talk to the PolyU community.

The event attracted around 1,000 attendees, including members of PolyU’s management, staff and students. Under the theme “Smiling Together, Striding On”, Ms Kong shared her journey to becoming an Olympic champion, balancing elite competition with academic excellence, developing mental resilience, and advancing her career in sport-related fields.

Ms Kong’s accomplishments extend beyond her Olympic gold medal and world number-one ranking in fencing. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in Chinese Law from Renmin University of China. She currently serves as Assistant External Affairs Manager at The Hong Kong Jockey Club, where she focuses on youth and sports development and supports community social betterment initiatives.

Ms Vivian Kong said, “I am truly fortunate to have discovered fencing. It is my greatest passion. Winning gold at the Paris Olympics is not just my achievement alone. I share it with everyone who cheered for us along the way. Thanks to support from the community , athletes like myself were able to fully devote ourselves to training and to performing at our very best when representing Hong Kong, China. One of the community supporters was The Hong Kong Jockey Club, which for many years has been a steadfast supporter of community and elite sports development, as well as helping to establish major sports facilities. Aside from providing a solid foundation for the advancement of elite sports, the Club has enabled people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to experience the joy of sports. That’s why I’m so pleased to be part of the Jockey Club family. I look forward to contributing to Hong Kong’s sports development and to supporting the Club’s purpose of acting continuously for the betterment of society.”

During an interactive session facilitated by Ir Prof. Horace K. W. MUI, Interim Dean of Students at PolyU, and Mr Oscar LEE, Deputy Executive Manager, Public Affairs (Charities Communication), Ms Kong engaged with two PolyU student-athletes, namely Ms KWAN Yee-man, Fencing athlete, and Mr MAK Hong-nin, Judo athlete. Their discussion explored practical strategies for maintaining academic excellence while pursuing sporting ambitions, effective time and stress management, and personal growth through competitive challenges.

Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU, said, “We are very honoured to have Ms Kong share her experiences on campus today. Her accomplishments speak for themselves, and her dedication, both in and beyond sports, makes her an inspiring role model for PolyU students. I hope our students will learn from Ms Kong’s pursuit of excellence with her determination and resilience. PolyU strongly supports the development of sports and student-athletes. Sports nurture important personal attributes such as teamwork, discipline, resilience, and perseverance. These attributes are vital for navigating life’s challenges and creating a positive impact in terms of both individual growth and societal advancement.”

Continuing its longstanding tradition of fostering youth development and academic advancement, The Hong Kong Jockey Club provided invaluable support by facilitating Ms Kong’s inspirational talk at this campus event. Over the years, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has provided unwavering support to PolyU, contributing substantial funding  through The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to advance PolyU’s mission as an innovative world-class university. The enduring partnership has seen the Club’s Charities Trust fund major campus facilities, including the Jockey Club Auditorium and Jockey Club Innovation Tower. In recent years, The Hong Kong Jockey Club supported PolyU’s Global STEM Professors by establishing JC STEM Labs and funded various significant projects in applied social sciences, social innovation and rehabilitation sciences. In addition, it has provided scholarships and fellowships for PolyU students.

PolyU places a strong emphasis on students’ whole-person development, including sporting excellence. The University offers various schemes that enable student-athletes to excel academically while pursuing their sporting dreams. The Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Scheme, established in 1998, has admitted over 1,500 elite athletes to date. Complementing this initiative, the University also provides the Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA), and an Elite Athletes Study Programme in collaboration with the Hong Kong Sports Institute. Additionally, the Special Talents Admission and Recognition Scheme (STARS) supports the holistic development of students with special talents not only in sports, but also in arts and culture, leadership and community services, and STEM.

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