Hong Kong on Thursday rolled out the red carpet for a delegation of athletes who competed for the national team at the Olympics. SAR officials and primary school students welcomed the 90-member delegation at the airport, which included 65 elite athletes, eight coaches and some administrators. Chief Secretary Eric Chan thanked the Olympians for making a three-day visit to the territory. "I believe many Hong Kong residents are as happy as I am. I thank the coaches and athletes for coming to Hong Kong just shortly after the closing of the Olympic Games, allowing us to get a close-up glimpse of the national team athletes," he said. The director of the General Administration of Sport of China, Gao Zhidan, who led the delegation said he felt welcome as soon as he arrived, adding the mainland and Hong Kong should work together to carry forward the spirit of sport. "We will have exchanges with the SAR government, departments and residents, especially young people. We will learn from each other, build friendships and contribute to the development of the motherland and Hong Kong," he said. One eight-year-old fan was at the airport to greet the athletes and he said he couldn't sleep the night before. "Because I was too excited! I'd been waiting for this day to come and I couldn't sleep at night! I want to meet Quan Hongchan the most because I like diving. But I'm too short so I couldn't see her," he said. Another fan said she wanted to meet the table tennis players the most, but she failed to grab a ticket for the gala show and demonstrations. "I tried to buy a ticket, but I failed. Everyone loves them...I was so excited when I saw Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha because I supported them throughout the whole Paris Olympics," she said. The Olympians will meet the press on Thursday afternoon and attend a reception and banquet hosted by the SAR government in the evening. They will also meet fans at a gala show on Friday and showcase their skills in a series of demonstrations on Saturday.
