PolyU recently welcomed three-time Olympian Ms Vivian Kong for the Dean of Students Talk Series: “Together We Dream, We Fly”. Held at the Jockey Club Auditorium, the event attracted around 1,000 attendees from the PolyU community, who were captivated by the inspiring story of one of Hong Kong’s celebrated athletes.

Ms Kong made history at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games by winning Hong Kong’s first-ever fencing gold medal in women’s individual épée. Embracing the theme “Smiling Together, Striding On”, she reflected on her journey to Olympic success, emphasising the importance of balancing elite sports with academic pursuits and developing metal resilience. She also discussed her advances and achievements in sport-related fields.

With impressive academic credentials, including a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford University and a Master’s in Chinese Law from Renmin University, she is now the Assistant External Affairs Manager at The Hong Kong Jockey Club, focusing on youth and sports development and community social betterment initiatives.

“I am truly fortunate to have discovered fencing. It is my greatest passion,’ Ms Kong reflected. “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 the 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.”

Embracing challenges and personal growth

In an engaging interactive session co-facilitated by Ir Professor Horace K. W. Mui, Interim Dean of Students, and Mr Oscar Lee, Deputy Executive Manager of Public Affairs (Charities Communication), Ms Kong exchanged valuable insights with student-athletes at PolyU. They included Ms Kwan Yee-man who is an aspiring fencer, and judo enthusiast Mr Mak Hong-nin. The discussion explored effective strategies for balancing academic excellence with sporting ambitions, time and stress management, and personal growth through competitive challenges.

Ms Kong acknowledged that adversity and criticism are inevitable parts of an athlete’s journey. She stressed that true success transcends medal counts, and ecnouraged students-athletes to embrace outcomes after giving their best effort and cherish every step of their journey. Her most profound insight was that self-worth stems from valuing who you are rather than just what you achieve, a philosophy that applies equally victory or defeat.

Supporting student-athletes

Professor Jin-Guang Teng, President of PolyU, honoured Ms Kong’s visit, noting, “Ms Kong’s 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 her pursuit of excellence with her determination and resilience.”

PolyU is commitment to whole-person development and offer comprehensive support for student-athletes pursuing both academic and athletic excellence. The Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Scheme, established in 1998, has admitted over 1,500 elite athletes to date. The University also operates 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.

During the interactive session, Ms Vivian Kong shared her experiences on balancing academic excellence with sporting ambitions, stress management techniques, and personal growth through competitive challenges.

Ms Vivian Kong (7th from left) joined members of the PolyU Council and Court, along with PolyU management and representatives from The Hong Kong Jockey Club.