Athletes tell President of anger over missing Games
At the start of her 10-day State visit to China, Mrs McAleese met with 44 athletes from the country and talked to them about the success of the Special Olympics in Ireland.
Due to the spread of the SARS epidemic in South East Asia earlier this year, the Hong Kong team was initially banned from travelling and eventually only half of them competed in the Games. After being in quarantine in Macau for several weeks, the 22 athletes who did travel went home with 51 medals.
Describing the team as impressive men and women, girls and boys, Mrs McAleese said she was delighted to meet them and to be reminded of the holding of the Games in Ireland.
“I was thrilled and the people of Ireland as a whole were relieved and happy, that it was possible for a team representing Hong Kong to attend the Games,” she said.
Among the people the President met were 14-year-old Fu Shu-Keung, who won seven medals in gymnastics at the Special Olympics.
Referring to the original ban placed on athletes from a number of countries, Mrs McAleese said difficult decisions had been taken in Ireland during the SARS crisis to prevent the country becoming affected.
Speaking at a reception for members of the Irish community in the territory, she said the action taken by Hong Kong, along with others in the region, meant that SARS was brought under control and the wider world was spared the worst of what the people in these countries had to endure.
Hong Kong Special Olympic chairman David Ip said the athletes had been extremely disappointed and angry when they were originally banned from travelling, but that their experience in Ireland had been fantastic. He also said they were delighted to meet the President.
Earlier in the day, Mrs McAleese went shopping in the markets of the Stanley area of Hong Kong, where she bought local crafts and silk souvenirs for her children, Emma, 21 and twins, Justin and Sara, 18.
Also yesterday, Mrs McAleese held talks with the head of government in the former British colony, Hong Kong special administrative region chief executive Tung Chee Hwa.
Mrs McAleese told Mr Tung that Ireland was the success story of the European Union and that the 10 countries now joining the EU want to emulate the performance of the Irish economy.
Leading the largest trade mission out of Ireland, with 145 executives from 82 companies, today Mrs McAleese travels to the People’s Republic of China’s capital, Beijing.
