Special-needs teen now sails through life

Christine Tang

A 15-year-old boy who has special education needs has become more independent and gained in confidence since representing Hong Kong in a sailing world championship in Portugal.

Gabriel Leung Man-hong, a secondary four student with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, was one of four competing in the 2023 Hansa Class World and International Championships in Portimao, Portugal, between October 14 and 21.

Teaming up with volunteer Ng Ka-wa, the two finished the championships in 54th place out of 75 teams.

The 75 boats competed in windy and choppy conditions, with wind speeds hitting up to 21 nautical miles per hour, double those of Hong Kong's 10 nautical miles per hour for the most part.

Competitors had to fight for the best starting position and to finish eight races in the shortest distances and times.

"It was an unexpectedly good result as it was his first time participating in such an international event," said Leung's mother, Eva Kwok Ling-chi.

Before taking up sailing, Leung sometimes got paranoid or was a nuisance to people around him as he had difficulty expressing himself and was afraid of communicating with people. As a result, he had few friends in primary school.

In addition, he used to have poor motor coordination and balance, making him lack interest in sports.

Since joining the inclusive sailing team in 2021, Leung's interest in sailing and sports soared. His self-confidence has also increased, and he has gotten better in sports and become more capable of voicing opinions.

"No longer afraid of strangers, he has started to make his own decisions and much better communication skills," Kwok said.

Utilizing sailing skills he picked up, Leung also volunteered at Sailability, an organization that provides opportunities for the handicapped and people with special education needs to learn to sail or have a water-based experience.

The trip to Portugal was Leung's first to Europe. Although his mom was with him, she let him try to strike out more on his own.

He even took the initiative to pick up bits of foreign languages in order to talk to people from all over the world.

When Leung returned with his sailing skills improved, he even took a leading role by partnering up with a person with mild intellectual disability to compete in the 2023 Treats Inclusive Sailing Race.

"I thought I was not good at anything. But now I got the chance to go abroad to compete, so believe in yourself, avoid self-criticism and you can do it," he said, encouraging other special education needs teens.

Leung and Ng were one of two inclusive sailing teams sent by Treats, an NGO promoting diversity among children and teens, with each team consisting of a special education needs teenager and a volunteer.

This marks the third time Treats has sent people abroad for international events.

As a recipient of Treats inclusive scholarship scheme 2022, Leung made use of a HK$10,000 cash handout to further learn sailing.