The AS Watson Group Hong Kong Student Sports Awards (HKSSA) organised the awards presentation ceremony in live webcast for the first time, to recognise a group of student athletes who achieved outstanding sports results and had been working tirelessly to pursue their goal regardless of the challenges brought by the pandemic. The online ceremony was livestreamed via social media platforms, enabling winners to share the joy with their family members and friends in real time.
With over 85% of all primary, secondary and special schools in Hong Kong participating the programme, HKSSA presented awards to 883 student sports elites this year, totalling over 13,000 student awardees. Launched in 2005, HKSSA opens to all local schools to commend one sports talent from each school every year, recognising the effort behind their achievements and injecting positive energy into the youth.
Upholding the “Yes I can!” spirit, HKSSA aims to inspire the students to prepare for the challenges ahead, pursue their goals and realise their dreams.
Leading up to the Tokyo Olympic Games 2021, Daniel Chan, one of the Hong Kong’s top Para badminton athletes who has secured a spot in the Tokyo Paralympic Games, was invited to share his story of how he overcame the difficulties after a life-changing traffic accident and became Hong Kong’s No. 1 wheelchair badminton player. With his unrelenting effort and perseverance, he hopes to encourage students to remain positive in adversity and fight for their dreams!
Officiating at the ceremony, Malina Ngai, Group Chief Operating Officer of AS Watson Group & CEO of AS Watson (Asia & Europe) said, “Stepping into its 16th anniversary, HKSSA has been receiving overwhelming supports from the schools since its launch. It is exciting to see that the number of awardees reached 883 this year. Despite COVID-19’s impacts on our daily lives and sports events, it’s really encouraging to know that many students continued their sports training at home to stay fit and healthy.”
Ngai also shared her athlete’s journey to encourage the students, “These experiences have taught me the importance of persistence. I believe that every athlete has a unique story behind, and the “Hard working and never give up” spirit is the most precious harvest I gained from my athletic life.”
As the first Hong Kong para-badminton representative, Daniel also shared how he has been preparing for his Paralympic debut in Tokyo: “We must keep positive attitude in the face of setbacks. Always remember the intention of being an athlete and fight for our dreams. With persistence and unrelenting efforts, we will definitely be able to achieve our dream step by step.” He also encouraged the awardees to pursue their dreams and wished them a brilliant future.
************************
2020- 2021 AS Watson Group Hong Kong Student Sports Awards
The HKSSA has gained overwhelming support from local schools over the past 16 years. This year, a total of 883 students are awarded. Each participating school is entitled to nominate one sports talent every year. All awardees would receive cash scholarship and would be invited to the online award presentation ceremony and leadership workshop.
Breakdown of award winners by school type:
| No. of Students | |
| Primary school | 443 |
| Secondary school | 386 |
| Special school | 54 |
| Total | 883 |
Breakdown of award winners by sports:
| No. of students | |
| Track and field | 273 |
| Swimming | 110 |
| Basketball | 86 |
| Soccer | 59 |
| Volleyball | 45 |
| Other ball games | 163 |
| Others (e.g. archery, dancing, diving, rugby, squash, fencing and martial arts etc.) | 147 |
