Olympic hero Vivian Kong joins Laureus movement
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Landmark day as Laureus legends Li Na, Li Xiaopeng and Mike Horn launch Laureus Sport for Good Hong Kong and and welcome a new Ambassador to Laureus.
Vivian Kong, the Olympic fencing champion and one of Hong Kong’s sporting superstars, was announced as a new Laureus Ambassador today by three legends of sport who are also Laureus World Sports Academy Members: the two-time Grand Slam tennis champion Li Na, Li Xiaopeng, China’s most-decorated gymnast, and leading international explorer Mike Horn.
On a landmark day for Sport for Good in the region, Li Na and Li Xiaopeng also launched Laureus Sport for Good Hong Kong, a new office which builds on two decades of work in the region, and confirms Laureus’s long-standing commitment to using sport to improve the lives of young people throughout Hong Kong, China and beyond.
Vivian was welcomed to the Laureus family by Li Na, who won the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open, Li Xiaopeng, the four-time Olympic gold medallist, Laureus Academy Member Mike Horn, Laureus Ambassador Annabelle Bond and a host of local athletes at an iconic Hong Kong setting; Upper House – with the skyline of Hong Kong as its backdrop. The event, a celebration of Laureus’ work in Hong Kong, also marked the launch of Laureus Sport for Good Hong Kong, which will follow the worldwide approach adopted so successfully by Laureus – an organisation driven by athletes.
On a landmark day for Sport for Good in the region, Li Na and Li Xiaopeng also launched Laureus Sport for Good Hong Kong, a new office which builds on two decades of work in the region, and confirms Laureus’s long-standing commitment to using sport to improve the lives of young people throughout Hong Kong, China and beyond.
Vivian was welcomed to the Laureus family by Li Na, who won the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open, Li Xiaopeng, the four-time Olympic gold medallist, Laureus Academy Member Mike Horn, Laureus Ambassador Annabelle Bond and a host of local athletes at an iconic Hong Kong setting; Upper House – with the skyline of Hong Kong as its backdrop. The event, a celebration of Laureus’ work in Hong Kong, also marked the launch of Laureus Sport for Good Hong Kong, which will follow the worldwide approach adopted so successfully by Laureus – an organisation driven by athletes.
And the Laureus family now includes Vivian Kong, who won the gold medal in the individual épée in Paris this summer – coming back from a 7-1 deficit against home favourite Auriane Mallo in the final – to inspire a surge of young people to take up fencing in Hong Kong in the wake of the Olympics.
Kong, 30, retired from competition shortly after Paris 2024. She now works with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to promote sports development in Hong Kong, and sees her work with the Laureus movement as a keystone of her future career.
Li Na and Li Xiaopeng visited Rugby For Good, a Laureus-supported programme that has reached over 32,000 young people since its inception in 2013. The Laureus Academy Members attended one of Rugby for Good’s ‘Tackling Language’ sessions, which use rugby to integrate secondary students from different cultures and with different languages into their new communities.
Vivian joins a rich list of local Laureus Ambassadors in Hong Kong, through Laureus’ longstanding partnership with the Hong Kong Elite Athletes Association (HKEAA), including Malina Ngai, Wong Kam Po, Alex Fong, Lee Lai Shan, Sherry Tsai, Amy Chan, Ron Lee, Vivian Lee and Daniel Lee.
Kong, 30, retired from competition shortly after Paris 2024. She now works with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to promote sports development in Hong Kong, and sees her work with the Laureus movement as a keystone of her future career.
Li Na and Li Xiaopeng visited Rugby For Good, a Laureus-supported programme that has reached over 32,000 young people since its inception in 2013. The Laureus Academy Members attended one of Rugby for Good’s ‘Tackling Language’ sessions, which use rugby to integrate secondary students from different cultures and with different languages into their new communities.
Vivian joins a rich list of local Laureus Ambassadors in Hong Kong, through Laureus’ longstanding partnership with the Hong Kong Elite Athletes Association (HKEAA), including Malina Ngai, Wong Kam Po, Alex Fong, Lee Lai Shan, Sherry Tsai, Amy Chan, Ron Lee, Vivian Lee and Daniel Lee.
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Rugby For Good is part of the Model City Hong Kong (MCHK) initiative, supported by Laureus since 2020. MCHK is an ambitious project focused on using sport to improve young people’s mental health through sport, bringing together a network of sports organisations, education institutions, mental health professionals and other NGOs, co-ordinating their efforts and developing best practice that benefits programmes across the region.
MCHK is part of the global network of Laureus Sport for Good Cities - active in New Orleans, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, London, Paris, Delhi and Hong Kong, China, and now celebrating its 10th anniversary of making a proven impact to social challenges through collaborative effort by grassroots organisations.
Laureus Academy Member Li Na said: “It’s an honour to welcome a great champion such as Vivian Kong to the Laureus family. She is not only a peerless competitor, but also a fantastic role model for the young people of Hong Kong, and of China as a whole – those same young people that will benefit from our work together with Laureus Sport for Good."
MCHK is part of the global network of Laureus Sport for Good Cities - active in New Orleans, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, London, Paris, Delhi and Hong Kong, China, and now celebrating its 10th anniversary of making a proven impact to social challenges through collaborative effort by grassroots organisations.
Laureus Academy Member Li Na said: “It’s an honour to welcome a great champion such as Vivian Kong to the Laureus family. She is not only a peerless competitor, but also a fantastic role model for the young people of Hong Kong, and of China as a whole – those same young people that will benefit from our work together with Laureus Sport for Good."
I’ve been a part of Laureus since 2016 and I can tell Vivian that this work doesn’t just change the lives of young people across the world – it changes your life, too.
Laureus Academy Member Li Xiaopeng said: “Hong Kong has been right at the heart of everything Laureus is trying to deliver in Asia for many years, and the initiatives and partnerships we have established here have acted as a launchpad for some of our best work.
"Spending time with the young people from Rugby for Good, seeing the role sport plays in uniting them and changing their lives for the better is exactly what Laureus is all about.
"I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved and the difference we have made to the lives of young people here, but I’m also excited about what is possible now, as those partnerships get stronger and especially with the establishment of the Laureus Sport for Good Hong Kong."
"Spending time with the young people from Rugby for Good, seeing the role sport plays in uniting them and changing their lives for the better is exactly what Laureus is all about.
"I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved and the difference we have made to the lives of young people here, but I’m also excited about what is possible now, as those partnerships get stronger and especially with the establishment of the Laureus Sport for Good Hong Kong."
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Laureus Ambassador Vivian Kong said: “It’s an honour to join Laureus Sport for Good and be a part of the team as we celebrate the launch of Laureus Sport for Good Hong Kong.
“I believe that Laureus’ commitment to Sport for Good in Hong Kong and the wider region has incredible potential, and with the help of our valued partners, we are going to extend our reach and raise the ceiling for what we can achieve by using sport to improve the physical and mental health of young people in Hong Kong and beyond. I can’t wait to get started.”
“I believe that Laureus’ commitment to Sport for Good in Hong Kong and the wider region has incredible potential, and with the help of our valued partners, we are going to extend our reach and raise the ceiling for what we can achieve by using sport to improve the physical and mental health of young people in Hong Kong and beyond. I can’t wait to get started.”
On a personal level, sport has changed my life, and I’m excited to now join the Laureus movement, offering my platform and voice to support the organisation’s mission, using the power of sport to help young people overcome discrimination and inequality in their lives.
Laureus’ activity in Hong Kong continues tomorrow, with the return of the Hong Kong Laureus Charity Golf Invitational at Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club, the stunning course that stretches out on a peninsula into the South China Sea. As well as friendly competition in a unique setting, this event will raise essential funds for the continued work Laureus delivers in the region.
Laureus Sport for Good has been actively engaged in Hong Kong since 2005, supporting programmes that use the power of sport to change the world. That change has been possible in part through the support of, and collaborations with, valuable partners such as the Hong Kong Elite Athletes Association, Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR), the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hong Kong Football Club, AIA, Swire and Park Lane Hong Kong.
Laureus Sport for Good has been actively engaged in Hong Kong since 2005, supporting programmes that use the power of sport to change the world. That change has been possible in part through the support of, and collaborations with, valuable partners such as the Hong Kong Elite Athletes Association, Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR), the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hong Kong Football Club, AIA, Swire and Park Lane Hong Kong.
