Crowds flock to malls to cheer on SAR athletes

Hongkongers on Monday flocked to shopping malls and government facilities to watch Olympic gold medallist Edgar Cheung and other SAR athletes in action. Scores of people were at a shopping mall in Kwun Tong to watch the live-stream of the Games on a giant screen. Among the spectators was Valerie, who was there with her mother. "It's really exciting, because there are people cheering when the athletes won or scored a point. I think this is really different (from) watching at home," she told RTHK. Another spectator, Ena, said she was there to cheer on all the Hong Kong athletes. "In general, their performance has been really motivational to all the Hong Kong citizens. Just wonderful to see more Hong Kong people step into the Olympics, like be the Olympians, and participate in such a big event," she said. Thomas, who was watching Cheung's bouts, said he was moved by the perseverance of the home-grown athletes. "I think they are so hardworking. They put a lot of efforts on it. We should really support them," he said. Cheung and star swimmer Siobhan Haughey are among those in action on day three of the Paris Games.