This year’s World Games in Chengdu is expected to open on Thursday, with a dazzling display of fireworks and drones, featuring pandas that give the city its name.
And Alex Lau Tsz-kwan and Lydia Sham Hiu-yu, who compete in squash and wushu, respectively, will serve as Hong Kong’s flag bearers at the ceremony at the Tianfu International Convention Centre, an honour officials said marked their “remarkable achievements in international competition”.
Lau claimed the men’s singles title at the 23rd Asian Squash Individual Championships in Malaysia this June, becoming just the third Hong Kong athlete to win a gold in the event.
“It is an incredible honour to be the flag bearer,” he said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; I will do my best to showcase the spirit of the team.”
Sham, meanwhile, is carrying her city’s flag for the second time, having previously done so at the Covid-delayed World University Games in Chengdu in 2023.
“To be the flag bearer again in the same city is truly a special experience,” said Sha, who won a medal of each colour at the third Taolu World Cup in Japan last October.