Hong Kong has cemented its status as a fencing powerhouse at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning two gold medals, but the success of its athletes has been overshadowed by the city’s deep-seated political divisions.
Supporters have split into pro-democracy and pro-Beijing groups as the spotlight has turned to the athletes’ political leanings.
Fencing champion Cheung Ka-long, who won Hong Kong’s only gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, made history by securing the top title for the second time in the men’s foil in Paris.
Cheung, a follower of popular pro-democracy singer Denise Ho on Instagram, has become a hero among Hong Kong’s democracy advocates, who see his success as a source of pride amid the city’s ongoing political tensions.
Hong Kong’s Cheung Ka-long celebrates after winning the men’s individual foil final at the Paris Olympics in the French capital on July 29, 2024. (AP/Kyodo)
In contrast, Vivian Kong, another gold medalist fencer, is facing criticism and a backlash from the pro-democracy camp due to her perceived pro-China stance and ties with pro-Beijing organizations.
Kong penned her master’s thesis on the benefits of Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for the territory’s administration during her time at the Renmin University of China in the Chinese capital.
She was also previously a member of a think tank that sought to “ignite patriotism” among the youth in Hong Kong, a semiautonomous region of China.
Despite calls to focus on the athletes’ performances rather than their political views, tensions have become embedded in the narrative around the Olympics in Hong Kong, with many of the city’s residents seen reveling in China’s poor performance, reflecting their deep-seated resentment.
When a Chinese gymnast fell twice during the men’s team all-around final, allowing Japan to take gold, social media was flooded with celebratory posts. “I’m glad he fell,” one user wrote. “I’m happier than if Hong Kong had won the gold medal.”
At the center of hostility toward Beijing in Hong Kong is the “one country, two systems” policy, which was drawn up to integrate the former British colony into mainland China while promising to preserve an array of political freedoms even after the city’s handover in 1997.
In recent years, however, China has increasingly moved to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy by clamping down on its pro-democracy movement, sparking concerns it could further encroach on freedoms in the territory.
Beijing enacted a sweeping national security law following anti-government pro-democracy protests in 2019, significantly curtailing political dissent in Hong Kong.
The mix of joy and controversy over Hong Kong’s success at the Paris Olympics reflects the complexities and uncertainties that define its relationship with mainland China, observers say.
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