Editor note: Hong Kong pride takes many forms, sometimes it's on the ice. We're cheering on four Hong Kong athletes making history as the largest team ever sent to the Winter Olympics.
Contributed by Ben Parker
A record four athletes are representing Hong Kong in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy: Adrian Yung Hau-tsuen (Alpine skiing), Eloise King Yung-shih (Alpine Skiing), Darren Kwok Tsz-fung (Speed Skating), and Joey Lam Ching-yan (Speed Skating). Given it has a population of 7.5-7.7 million people with a subtropical climate, Hong Kong is not a place that would come to mind as a place to produce Winter Olympians. Yet here they are, sending four athletes to Milan, which is the most in its history.
As for what events they’ll be competing in, Adrian Yung will be competing in the men’s slalom and men’s giant slalom while Eloise King will be competing in the women’s slalom. Olympics.com provided a breakdown of the difference between slalom and giant slalom:
Giant Slalom
The fastest technical event, the giant slalom is contested over two heats on the same day. The times are added together, and the fastest total time determines the winner. The courses are different and skiers reach speeds of around 80 kph. The start of the second run is in reverse order from the top 30 rankings of the first run.
Slalom
The slalom is the most technical event in Alpine skiing with gates set very close together. Skiers need to perform fast turns and rapid changes of direction. Slalom has the shortest course and the quickest turns in Alpine skiing but skiers still reach around 60-70 kph.
The event is again contested in two rounds on the same day and on two different courses. The first 30 skiers from the first run start in the reverse order of the ranking to compete in the second run. The times of the two runs are added together to determine the final ranking.
As for Darren Kwok and Joey Lam, Kwok will race in the men’s 1,000m and men’s 1,500m short-track races while Lam will compete in the women’s 1,500m short track race.
Olympics.com has provided an explanation of what makes short track racing different from long track speed skating:
In speed skating, athletes race against the clock in a time trial format. There are no heats, semis or finals, just a single round where competitors attempt to set the best time. Two athletes compete at the same time but it doesn’t matter who finishes first - the only thing that matters are the times they set. Once every skater has completed their run, the one with the fastest time is declared the winner.
By comparison, short track sees athletes competing against each other over a series of rounds. In this case, position counts, as the fastest finishers progress to the later rounds. Usually, four to six athletes compete in each race, with heats followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final.
What are the other differences between the sports?
The Track
As the name suggests, short-track races take place on a shorter track than speed skating. The short track measures 111.12m, while the speed skating track is 400m long - the exact same size as an Olympic athletics track.
Equipment
With lots of tight turns, short-track athletes need rigid boots to maintain control of their trajectory. For that reason, the material is much stiffer than those used in speed skating. Blades are also smaller, averaging 30 to 45cm for short track and 40 to 55cm for speed skating.
As speed skating features longer straights and wider turns, athletes’ boots are more flexible. They also feature a “clap” system and a hinge mechanism on the heel, which allows the blade to maintain contact with the ice when the leg is lifted.
To touch more on Yung, he competed at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, making him the youngest two-time Winter Olympian in Hong Kong’s history at just 21 years of age. Speed skater Han Yueshuang was the first Hongkonger to be a two-time Winter Olympian in 2006 (Turin) and Vancouver (2010). Given he has been on this stage before, Yung should feel more comfortable and confident in his abilities to make a push for a medal.
Overall, it’ll be fun to see how all four of these Hongkongers perform. Regardless of where they finish, they are certain to bring a lot of pride to Hong Kong as the largest team they’ve ever sent to the Winter Olympics.
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