Over the years, PolyU has been committed to promoting a sporting culture on campus, and providing all-round support to student-athletes to help them excel in their studies and sports profession. This April, the University is thrilled to announce the admission of 13 elite student-athletes under the Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA). They will be joining the PolyU family in the 2022/23 academic year.

SALSA is a special scheme spearheaded by the University Grants Committee for student-athletes who have demonstrated excellence in significant international and/or regional sports tournaments. In the coming academic year, 13 athletes who have excelled in sports including athletics, swimming, badminton, fencing, table tennis, gymnastics, squash, triathlon and sailing, will commence their university lives at PolyU. They will be enrolled in a wide range of undergraduate programmes that include Physiotherapy, Hotel and Tourism Management, Medical Laboratory Science, Linguistics and Translation, English and Applied Linguistics, Management and Marketing, and Applied Social Sciences.

PolyU also embraces students with other talents, such as those in arts and culture, community service and leadership, and STEM through the “Special Talents Admission Scheme”, which will commence in 2022/23 academic year. All applicants to PolyU undergraduate programmes will be automatically considered for this scheme, based upon the non-academic achievements submitted in their applications. JUPAS applicants who are interested in this scheme are encouraged to prioritise their PolyU programme choices.

PolyU’s Vice President (Education) Prof. Kwok-yin Wong welcomes the student-athletes admitted via SALSA to PolyU 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. These students will receive high-quality education from PolyU while continuing to unleash their potential and diverse strengths.”

Among the recently admitted student-athletes are swimmer Tinky Ho Nam Wai, sprinter Leung Kwan Yi, triathlete Yip Tak Long and squash athlete Wai Sze Wing. Tinky Ho, the city’s record holder in the 1500m Freestyle and 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay, who has competed for Hong Kong in various international swimming competitions, will be studying the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Programme in English and Applied Linguistics at PolyU. “Balancing studies and sports life could be challenging, but that does not undermine my enthusiasm to experience university life. 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.”

Leung Kwan Yi, who 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, said, “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.”

Yip Tak Long, who won the Boys' Short Distance in the 2019 2nd National Youth Games, will study Physiotherapy in the coming academic year. “Injuries are the greatest enemy for every athlete, who must learn to avoid them. Therefore, I started to develop an interest in learning physiotherapy and finding ways to prevent injuries.”

Wai Sze Wing also achieved great honour representing Hong Kong in the 26th Asian Junior Individual Championships 2019. She will pursue Hotel and Tourism Management at PolyU in the coming academic year. “PolyU offers the world’s best Hotel and Tourism Management education and I’m delighted to have been admitted to my dream programme.”

The University also plans to establish a new Residential College to help foster a vibrant university life for the student-athletes and students with special talents. Scholarships of up to HK$100,000 will be awarded to eligible students, in addition to individual mentorship in their academic work, flexibility in learning and study assessments, extension of study periods and more, offering these students comprehensive support to facilitate their holistic development.