The Hong Kong athletes to watch at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

The Paris 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games draw near, bringing with them the promise of hot-blooded rivalries, thunderous crowds and history-defying performances. As we eagerly anticipate the summer’s biggest event, we’re spotlighting the Hong Kong athletes to look out for, including Cathay's first brand ambassador, swimmer Siobhán Haughey and promising badminton star, Daniel Chan Ho Yuen.

Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games

Swimming

The must-watch swimming events this year are the women’s 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle, as well as the 100m breaststroke – the races Siobhán Haughey will be representing the city in. Of these, the 100m and 200m freestyle should be particularly thrilling races: the Olympic silver medallist won gold and silver medals in these events at the Doha 2024 World Aquatic Championships earlier this year, so they're likely to be where we’ll see the 26-year-old going for her first Olympic gold.

Other swimmers to look out for include 17-year-old Cindy Cheung Sum-yuet, who took home gold in her age group at the Hong Kong-wide swimming championships earlier this year and will be competing in the 200m backstroke in Paris; and Ian Ho Yentou who’ll be competing in the men’s 50m freestyle for his second appearance at the Olympic Games.

Swimming’s medal events will take place from 27 July to 4 August.

Badminton

Currently No. 8 in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) global rankings and fourth-place finishers at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, mixed doubles pair Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet are hopeful contenders for a medal at their second Games. They were crowned champions at the BWF Super 300 German Open earlier this year, giving the duo – known as the “lefty pair”– a stellar start to their journey to the Olympic podium.

In the men’s singles, Lee Cheuk-yiu, currently ranked 15th in the world, will be representing Hong Kong for the first time, while Happy Lo Sin-yan will be debuting in the women’s singles event. The women’s doubles will see 20th-ranked pair Yeung Nga-ting and Yeung Pui-lam represent the city after over two years of partnership. 

Matches commence on 27 July, when all of Hong Kong’s representing athletes will compete in the group stage.

Cycling

Hongkongers will be excited to see 23-year-old cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing take up the mantle of representing Hong Kong after two-time Olympic bronze medallist Sarah Lee Wai-sze’s retirement. The younger Lee, who took home three medals from the Asian Games in Hangzhou last September, is expected to compete as Hong Kong’s only representative in the women’s omnium. 

The event will take place on 11 August – the final day of the Games.

Fencing

The second ever Olympic gold medallist to hail from Hong Kong, Cheung Ka-long, will be defending his title in men’s foil on 29 July – a spectacle that will surely have all eyes in Hong Kong glued to TV screens. But before that, Vivian Kong Man-wai  – a three-time Asian champion, two-time Olympian, and current No. 1 fencer in the world – will be wowing crowds as she competes in the women’s epee on 27 July. 

Another rising star to watch is 19-year-old Daphne Chan Nok-sze, who took bronze at the 2023 Asian Games in women’s foil. She shares a coach with Cheung and will be competing on 28 July. On the same day, Cedric Ho Wai-hang, who emerged victorious out of 24 fencers in April’s Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifier to snag a last-minute ticket to Paris, will compete in the men’s epee. 

Gymnastics

Heading to the Olympics for the third time, 32-year-old Stone Shek Wai-hung will be competing in the men’s vault. The preliminary round, which is where an unfortunate ankle injury stopped Shek from advancing further three years ago in Tokyo, begins on 27 July. Leading up to Paris, Shek’s impressive results at the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Cup and the 2024 FIG World Cup bode well for his chances this summer.

Rowing

As the city’s solo representative in rowing, Chiu Hin-chun will be competing in men’s single sculls on 27 July after qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the Asia and Oceania qualifier.

Sailing

The first Hong Kong sailor to earn their spot at an Olympic Games by coming first in the qualifiers, Nicholas Bezy Halliday will be competing in the men’s dinghy event on 1 August.

Asian Games bronze medallists Akira Sakai and Russell Aylsworth, who secured the final spot for Paris 2024 in April, will be competing as a duo in the men’s skiff event on 28 July.

Table tennis

The women’s team that brought home Hong Kong’s second ever medal in table tennis will once again compete this year, with Lee Ho-ching, Doo Hoi-kem and Minnie Soo Wai-yam looking to mirror their success in Tokyo three years ago. The team-based event will start with the preliminary round on 5 August, with the finals taking place five days later.

Meanwhile, repping the city in the women’s singles event on 27 July is likely to be Zhu Cheng-zhu, while the mixed doubles’ competition starting the same day will be played by Doo and her partner Wong Chun-ting.

Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games

Badminton

A bronze medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Daniel Chan Ho Yuen could be representing Hong Kong in the Paris 2024 Paralympics for a repeat – or better – performance in the men’s singles if the city qualifies for the event. At 22, the rising badminton star was in a car crash that resulted in nearly a year of recovery and a leg amputation; however, his passion for the sport propelled him to become the first wheelchair badminton player to represent Hong Kong.

Swimming

Hong Kong’s swimming roster will be filled by the China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee. Candidates are likely to include the city’s first Paralympic gold medallist in swimming, Kelvin Tang Wai-lok, who won a gold medal in Rio in 2016.

Other qualified events

The city will be selecting Hong Kong athletes to compete in events across table tennis, equestrian and boccia.