Badminton stars also joined the delegation of Olympians who visited Hong Kong. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Chinese Olympic delegation went to Hong Kong recently in efforts to show the city's residents of the country's athletic abilities, and to foster nationalism.
Famous athletes like swimmer Sun Yang, Fe Yuanhui, ping pong player Zhang Jike and badminton star Lin Dan were part of the delegation.
Citizens from Hong Kong were excited over the delegations' visit and all 5,700 tickets were sold out. Some tickets sold as HK$20.
Liu Peng, director of the State General Administration of Sports, was present during the ceremonies.
"We already feel the fire-like passion of Hong Kong people. We are very touched and thrilled," he said. The director thanked the citizens who gave them a heartfelt welcome.
"We are also grateful to Hong Kong people for their support to the country's development in various aspects, including the sports industry ... I wish Hong Kong a better future," Liu said.
Tian Feilong, an assistant professor at Beijing-based Beihang University, believes that the spirit of patriotism will come timely as the election for the Legislative Council is nearing.
"Pro-independence activists caused some trouble, but when the women's volleyball team beat many strong teams and finally won the gold, the activists had no chance to spread any negativity," Tian said.
Prior to the Olympics, Hong Kong-based activists protested against the discrimination of athletes from Hong Kong.
"In the 1980s, during the era of China-UK negotiations over Hong Kong, the team was a legend which brought a lot of victories and boosted Hong Kongers' Chinese identity," Tian said.
"Aside from these memories, the current team's excellent performance in Rio can also inspire the youth of Hong Kong," he noted.
Carrie Lam thanked the central government for letting the delegation visit Hong Kong.
"This shows the country's strong support of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the deep relations between the people of two places," Lam said.
