Tickets to see mainland Olympians sell out in HK

Tickets for performances by Olympians from the Chinese mainland in Hong Kong next week sold out quickly after going on sale on Thursday, with sports enthusiasts eager to have close interactions with their favorite icons and express their support for them.

A star-studded delegation of mainland athletes who achieved outstanding results at the Paris Olympic Games will visit Hong Kong from Thursday to Aug 31 before heading to Macao for three days.

Although the names of the athletes have yet to be revealed, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government confirmed that members of the delegation will attend a gala show at Queen Elizabeth Stadium and also give demonstrations of badminton, gymnastics, table tennis, diving and swimming.

Over 5,000 tickets priced at HK$20 that were offered for sale from 10 am on Thursday sold out within about 40 minutes. Some free tickets were offered to underprivileged groups.

In the first 10 minutes of ticket sales, the online system showed that nearly 50,000 people were trying to buy tickets for the badminton, gymnastics and table tennis demonstrations, more than 41,000 were waiting to buy tickets for diving and swimming demonstrations, and over 25,000 were hoping to get tickets for the gala show.

The rare opportunity to meet the country's top athletes attracted residents of Hong Kong and nearby mainland cities.

Twelve-year-old Nancy Lin is a fan of table tennis player Sun Yingsha, one of the most popular Chinese athletes, who won a gold medal in the mixed doubles event but lost to teammate Chen Meng in the women's singles final. Nancy said she especially appreciated Sun's perseverance in the face of negativity.

She had hoped to secure a ticket after hearing about the delegation's planned visit and asked her parents to try to buy some, but they missed out in the rush.

Another Hong Kong table tennis fan, surnamed Wong, said she is looking forward to seeing athletes of the "national sport" showcase their skills in the city, but will have to do so by watching the live television broadcast after failing to get a ticket.

She is also hoping that 17-year-old diver Quan Hongchan, who won two gold medals in Paris, will be part of the delegation visiting Hong Kong.

Wong said many of her colleagues tried to buy tickets on Thursday morning.

One Guangdong province resident who managed to secure a Hong Kong ticket said she also hopes to see the athletes again in Macao.

On an online secondhand exchange platform, tickets are being resold for HK$500, with one wouldbe purchaser even offering to pay HK$1,000.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Yeung Yunhung said tickets were sold on the basis that purchasers used their real names, and urged members of the public to purchase them through official channels.

At the Paris Olympics, the mainland team won 91 medals — 40 golds, 27 silvers and 24 bronzes — its best result at an overseas Olympic Games since the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.

In diving and table tennis, mainland athletes won all the gold medals on offer — eight in diving and five in table tennis. Mainland Olympians who competed in those sports will give demonstrations in Hong Kong on Aug 31.

Members of the Hong Kong team at the Paris Games won two gold medals in fencing and two bronzes in swimming.

atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com