Paris Olympics gold medalist Vivian Kong Man-wai, who has registered to run for the Legislative Council's tourism functional constituency, cited her work on the horse racing tourism project as relevant experience after being criticized for her lack of tourism sector ties.
According to her nomination form, the electoral officer asked Kong to explain her connection to the tourism industry.
Kong said that during her time at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, she worked on the horse racing tourism project to transform the Sha Tin Racecourse into a top sports tourism complex in Asia and contributed to the "Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry 2.0".
She also noted that as Hong Kong's first Olympic gold medalist in women's fencing, she believes in the cross-sectoral integration of sports and tourism.
Kong described himself as an active promoter of sports tourism, having worked with insurance companies to promote commercial activities of international tennis stars, "using top sports IPs to showcase the charm of Hong Kong as an international hub to the world."
She also mentioned participating in a fencing exhibition match held at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which attracted over a million online viewers and created an international brand for Hong Kong's sports, culture and tourism.
She also stressed that her work is acknowledged by prominent business figures including the chairman of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong Tommy Tam Kwong-shun, Sino Group chairman Daryl Ng Win-kong and the Kerry Properties chairman Kuok Khoon Hua.
According to the nomination form, Kong was endorsed by the chairman and managing director of Wharf Stephen Ng Tin-hoi, the chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Peter Wong Tung-shun, member of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong Lam Ho-yi and so on.
To run in the tourism functional constituency, candidates must have a close connection with the sector, though the law does not define this.
Kong, known as an athlete, said that "sportsmanship applies to all sectors" when asked about her tourism ties.
At 31 years old, Kong retired after winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and joined the Jockey Club as an assistant manager for external affairs.
She earlier mentioned that she is applying to renounce her Canadian passport, though the timeline for this is unclear.
