Hong Kong serves as Olympic training base
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Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband (wearing orange shirt) poses for photos with his fans at the Dutch training base at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. |
Hong Kong was awash with international sporting talent in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.
Apart from staging the Olympic Equestrian Events, Hong Kong was the training base of choice for athletes from more than a dozen countries who had their sights set on Olympic glory in Beijing.
World-class field hockey players, swimmers, badminton players and track and field athletes were among those who made final preparations in Hong Kong before heading to Beijing.
Equestrian teams from Canada, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia were among the first to arrive for the Olympic Equestrian Events in Sha Tin and Beas River.
For the Dutch swimming team, Hong Kong was the perfect place to put the finishing touches on its Olympic preparations, according to Cees-Rein van den Hoogenband, Royal Dutch Swimming Federation chairman and father of swimming sensation Pieter van den Hoogenband.
“The facilities are superb,” Mr. Van den Hoogenband said. “The Gold Coast Hotel, where we are, is a very good hotel, very good meals, and the accommodation is fantastic.”
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The Czech Republic swim team were at their training base at Hong Kong Polytechnic University before leaving for the Beijing Olympics. |
He also noted the team’s dietician had discussed nutritional requirements for the athletes with the hotel. “[The dietician] made arrangements for special food. It is superb, more than 100%.”
Mr. van den Hoogenband said the main reasons for choosing Hong Kong were the comparable climate to Beijing and the high-quality training facilities.
“We have two pools where we can have our training sessions,” he said. “One is here at the (Hong Kong) Institute of Education. They have good blocks. The other is at Lingnan University. They both have eight lanes, which is sufficient for our team.”
While the Dutch team stayed in a hotel overlooking the South China Sea, away from the city center, the Czech swimming team was based at the Regal Kowloon Hotel, in the heart of bustling Tsim Sha Tsui East.
Although the surroundings are different, the Czech Swimming Federation was also delighted with its pre-Olympic arrangements.
Technical Director of the Czech Swimming Federation Jan Novotny said his swimmers settled in well in their temporary home. “The facilities in Hong Kong are similar to the Czech Republic, and we are satisfied with the pool, with the hotel, with the food, with everything,” he said.
“The time in Hong Kong is the same as Beijing, and I think the weather in Hong Kong will be the same as in Beijing, so we hope the swimmers will adapt to the conditions (at the Olympics),” he added.
While the Czech swimmers got a taste of Hong Kong’s unique city life, the Dutch were happy to be surrounded by friends, building on their team spirit going into the Olympics.
“Our equestrian team is here, and our football team is here, too. The equestrian team came to watch our guys training and to have dinner with us,” Mr. van den Hoogenband said. “The whole team is grateful for the hospitality. We are proud to be here. We feel comfortable.”
He said some of the team coaches went to support the Netherlands in the pre-Olympic ING Cup football tournament at Hong Kong Stadium. The Dutch won the tournament, which also included Cameroon, Ivory Coast and the United States.
Hong Kong is best known as an international business and financial center, but it is fast earning its stripes as Asia’s world city for sports.
Honorary Secretary General of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong Pang Chung said the city’s global exposure and similar climate made it the very best training and acclimatization base for athletes preparing for the Beijing games.
The Leisure & Cultural Services Department worked hard to make the visiting teams’ stay in Hong Kong as smooth as possible through its “Hong Kong — Ideal Training Base for 2008 Beijing Olympics” program.
LCSD Director Thomas Chow said 16 national teams trained in the city in preparation for the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“LCSD has been pleased and honored to offer assistance to teams looking for help in arranging accommodation, training facilities and transportation,” Mr. Chow said.
Although much of the pre-Olympic training took place away from the glare of the media, field hockey — a popular sport in Hong Kong — drew crowds to Olympic warm-up games at the Hong Kong Football Club among teams from New Zealand, Great Britain and Canada.
New Zealand’s men’s and women’s hockey teams were based in Hong Kong, along with the men’s team from Canada. They shared the club’s state-of-the-art training facilities.
The University of Hong Kong — the city’s oldest university — also happens to be home to some of the newest and best sports facilities in town, making the venue a huge draw for Olympics-bound teams.
Track and field teams from Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Fiji and Vanuatu, as well as a multi-sports team from Austria and Trinidad and Tobago’s swimming squad, all made the most of the university's extensive facilities.
Some teams took up residence on campus during their stay in Hong Kong, while others stayed at nearby hotels.
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