2026-05-10
Established in 2005, the AS Watson Group Hong Kong Outstanding Student Sports Awards (HKSSA) is one of the largest student athlete recognition programmes. This year’s Award Presentation Ceremony honoured around 1,000 outstanding athletes from primary, secondary and special schools—representing nearly 90% of local schools. The families of the awardees and school representatives also gathered today at The TIDES, Whampoa, to witness and celebrate these proud moments of achievement.
Dr. Malina Ngai, JP, Group CEO of AS Watson and Honorary Advisor of HKSSA, said “TheHKSSA has upheld the principle of ‘one award per school’ since its establishment. Beyond recognising students’ outstanding sports achievements, we hope each awardee will become a ‘sports ambassador’, sowing the seeds of passion for sports across school campuses and the community, inspiring more people to take part in sports. If each ambassador can encourage 10 fellow students to participate, this energy can extend to tens of thousands of young people. From the initial participation of just a few dozen schools, HKSSA has grown to include nearly 90% of schools across Hong Kong—around 1,000 schools today. This passing on of sporting culture is precisely the original vision behind the Awards.
This year’s Award Presentation Ceremony was officiated by Dr. Choi Yuk-lin, JP, Secretary for Education, as Guest of Honour, along with other distinguished guests. She kicked-off the ceremony and encouraged student athletes to rise to challenges and break through their limits. Dr Choi said, “Hong Kong’s sports achievements have reached new milestones in recent years, which is truly encouraging. The ‘AS Watson Group Hong Kong Outstanding Student Sports Awards’ recognises and motivates young athletes. We believe sports is education—building fitness while nurturing resilience, perseverance and character. We hope awardees will bring the spirit of sport into daily life, keep striving for excellence, and bring honour to Hong Kong.”
World Record “185” Mosaic Puzzle Brings the Sporting Spirit into the Community
To celebrate AS Watson Group’s 185th anniversary, awardees jointly assembled a “AS Watson Group 185th Anniversary Dumbbell Water Bottle Mosaic Puzzle” with 1,000 dumbbell water bottles during the previous professional photoshoot. The student stacked installation—symbolising the effort behind daily training and the Group’s two-decade commitment to student athletes. The collective creation successfully set a “World’s Largest Dumbbell Water Bottle Mosaic Puzzle” world record and received official certification from World Record Association at ceremony, adding special significance to the milestone celebration.
After the ceremony, all dumbbell water bottles will be donated to different local NGOs, including Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association, Hong Kong Christian Service, Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service, Hans Andersen Club and etc, to promote community sports participation and healthy living. Past awardees also formed as a volunteer team, leading simple fitness sessions for the elderly, extending health and vitality from the campus to every corner of the community.
Diverse Sports Shine as Emerging and Niche Disciplines Gain Momentum
Over the years, HKSSA has recognised nearly 18,500 exceptional student athletes, including Ryan Choi Chun-yin, Shek Wai Hung, Cecilia Yeung Man Wai and etc. Among this year’s awardees, comprising 553 male and 444 female students, with the youngest awardees aged 10, covering 70 sporting disciplines, including traditional sports such as basketball, football, volleyball, athletics and swimming, as well as emerging and niche disciplines including korfball, breakdance, virtual dodgeball, tchoukball and lawn bowls. This diversity reflecting students’ drive to break limits across a wider sporting landscape. Many have achieved strong results in inter-school, territory-wide and international competitions, reflecting the resilience and expanding horizons of Hong Kong’s student athletes.
Guests Inspire Students Through Music and Sport
The ceremony welcomed youth icons: Ivan, Yang Pok Man, a rising Hong Kong basketball player and member of the Hong Kong U22 team; Hayson, Kwok Lai Hei, an emerging music talent, basketball school partner and coach. They shared the perseverance behind their journeys, encouraging awardees to embrace challenges, push beyond limits and turn passion into motivation.
“Sports Star” Photoshoot and Exchange Programme Continue
Continuing a long‑standing tradition, awardees took professional portraits as “Sports Stars” to commemorate their achievements. Photos will be showcased at the ceremony and on the HKSSA website. The Sports Exchange Programme will take place in summer, offering selected awardees opportunities to visit different sports training bases, exchange with athletes from different cultures.
