Sphere
#37
2015
24
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Burning bright
A S Watson: Kindling
character development
“ASW’s corporate brand value is about
passion, commitment, teamwork and
science,” says Malina Ngai, Chief
Operating Officer of ASW. “Competitive
sports incorporate all these winning
elements. We believe sports build
character in young people, which is a key
part of their overall development, which
will ultimately benefit the society as a
whole.”
With this in mind, ASW launched the
Hong Kong Student Sports Awards
(SSA) in 2005 to recognise the sports
achievements of students and encourage
broader character development than study
alone provides. The project is ambitious in
scope: over 7,830 students in Hong Kong
have been honoured with the awards to
date, and the number of schools joining the
SSA has risen more than 50 per cent since
the programme started, with over 85 per
cent of Hong Kong primary, secondary and
special schools joining.
Competitive spirit
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2015,
SSA is now a popular programme in the
academic field, with the endorsement
of the Education Bureau, Home Affairs
Bureau and school principals associations
in Hong Kong and various sports
authorities in the Mainland. Awards are
open to all schools in Hong Kong, but each
school can only nominate one student
per year. The competition in the schools
is intense. Not only do nominees have to
demonstrate outstanding performance or
great potential in sports, but they must
also display good character and academic
achievement.
The award has also fostered excellence in
sports, producing some of Hong Kong’s
top athletes. For example, gymnast Shek
Wai-hung was a 2006-07 SSA awardee
who went on to win Asian Games gold
in the men’s vault at Incheon 2014,
defeating the current World and Olympic
champion. Mr Shek inspired young SSA
awardees in the 2013 award ceremony
by sharing his story of persistence after
recovering from a serious neck injury.
The SSA has nurtured many sports
elites who have become role models in
their communities.
Road trip
Each year’s SSA awardees are eligible to
apply for a sports exchange tour in August.
Only 30 students (roughly half from
primary schools and another half from
secondary schools), based on a written
submission and interview performance,
are selected to go on the road with the
exchange tour.
Past exchange tours were held in Beijing,
Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou in China,
destinations chosen in light of upcoming
international events at the time, such
as the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, 2010
World Expo in Shanghai and the Nanjing
Youth Olympics Games in 2014. During
exchange tours, participants spend
five days sightseeing, visiting national
training bases and—most importantly—
interacting with young, world-class
athletes in the Mainland.
The SSA has not only helped students grow
into well-rounded individuals but has also
instilled a sense of stewardship in them.
Acknowledging the generous support
of ASW, many previous participants of
exchange tours have returned as volunteers
to lead subsequent juniors on the tour.
ASW selects some of the volunteers and
trains them to be group leaders.
Not all students shine so brightly straight
out of high school. While the ASW
programme uses sports to help gifted
students further develop character,
students in other parts of the world
struggle to find the motivation to pursue
goals.
3
UK is there to help.
3 UK: Igniting the fire of ambition
For many, leaving school can be a
terrifying experience. Aimlessness and
From left to right: Sporting spirit—at school, participation is encouraged. Winners: the best step to the next level.
Athletes travel to Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games to get into the sporting spirit.
