Following the recent success of Hong Kong's fencing team at the Paris Olympics, there has been a surge of interest in the sport across the city, with the government being urged to build fencing halls to promote the sport.
The fencing enthusiasm comes after Vivian Kong Man-wai and Edgar Cheung Ka-long won the gold medals in the Olympics. However, lacking dedicated training facilities has emerged as a key concern among fencing coaches and experts.
Level one coach of the Hong Kong Fencing Association Marco Wong Pak-yiu highlighted a scarcity of fencing equipment in the public recreational facilities for practicing the sport.
He urged the government to construct a fencing hall that provide the necessary equipment and believed that public and professional participation would increase significantly.
The founder and coaching director of the Academy of Fencing (Hong Kong) Francis Lee Wing-keung said the academy has been experiencing an increase in new sign-ups, with around five to six new registrations daily, including both adults and children. It is a significant rise compared to the previous rate of only around ten new sign-ups per month before the Paris Olympics.
Patrick Lau Wing-chung from the Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health at Hong Kong Baptist University believed the government should act as a "super-connector" to bring together key stakeholders -- including businesses, hotels, retail, catering, entertainment, and airlines -- to drive the commercialization of the sport.
"Athletes can serve as excellent ambassadors to help the public understand the value of related sport, such as their perseverance and unwavering determination," he said.
In the Police Address last year, construction of fencing halls had been proposed, yet, according to Zheng Kang Zhao, the head coach of the Hong Kong fencing team, they are still exploring suitable locations and plans for the infrastructure.
