Chairman of the Cycling Association, Leung Hung-tak, attempted to fabricate accidents to substitute athletes during the athlete selection for the Paris Olympic Games last year, according to anonymous sources.
According to a document signed by the Honorary Treasurer of the association, Simon Leung Chi-wa, and provided by sources, Leung pressured cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing to relinquish her spot in the individual road race.
The second-ranked cyclist, Leung Wing-yee, will temporarily take Lee's spot and withdraw from the event by claiming a "feigned illness" resulting from a fabricated accident, to allow Lee to reclaim her position as backup.
The document shows that the move was proposed in a meeting that came after an additional spot for the women's road time trial was opened for Hong Kong.
Lee, who was selected for the individual road race, was the only eligible athlete since regulations require that athletes participating in the event must also compete in at least one other cycling event.
However, Lee firmly stated her intention to compete only in the road race events, with no plans to participate in the time trial. Her coach also expressed concerns about her ability to handle both road race events simultaneously.
Despite Lee’s rejection, Leung requested that she and Leung Wing-yee authorize the association to substitute participants for the road race to secure Leung Wing-yee’s eligibility for the time trial via email.
Meanwhile, Leung initiated a vote within the Executive Committee, seeking approval for the athlete substitution while omitting the "feigned illness" arrangement he proposed to the leader of the Hong Kong cycling team, Chan Kwok-ki.
The proposal failed to secure sufficient votes before the deadline set by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong (SF&OC) and drew criticism.
Furthermore, SF&FO received complaints in October last year and instructed the Cycling Association to establish an independent investigation committee to follow up on the matter, requiring a report to be submitted to the Federation.
The report confirmed that an Executive Committee member had proposed substituting an athlete as well as feigning the athlete's illness through a fabricated cycling accident during the Paris Olympics.
However, the report did not implement any disciplinary measures or follow-up actions.
A spokesperson from the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau emphasized that authorities attach great importance to the effective governance of SF&FO and expect the fair and transparent operation of the athlete selection systems.
The spokesperson added that SF&FO will scrutinize the implementation of the Code of Governance released last November, including regulations regarding athlete selection systems.
(Judy Cui)
