Tokyo Olympics cycling gold medalist Zhong Tianshi and fencing champion Sun Yiwen are among the 29 national team athletes visiting Hong Kong for three days from Friday next week.
The full list of visiting athletes, who specialize in 12 different sports, also includes table tennis gold medalist Ma Long and sprinter Su Bingtian.
Sun will show his skills in fencing, while fellow gold medalists Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping will play badminton at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium on December 4.
Wang Zongyuan and Xie Siyi will showcase their diving, while Yang Junxuan and Tang Muhan will be swimming at the Victoria Park pool on the same day.
The delegation will also participate in a variety show at Queen Elizabeth Stadium at 5pm on December 4.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced there will be a total of 5,300 tickets for all three events, going on sale for HK$20 from 10am today. Citizens can purchase a maximum of two tickets through URBTIX - via the mobile app or over phone - and must collect them before December 4 at URBTIX outlets and ticket dispensing machines.
Buyers' real names will be required during purchase. Citizens will also need to bring along their identity documents to enter the event venues.
Commissioner for Sports Yeung Tak-keung said yesterday that 1,000 tickets will be available for the Victoria Park demonstrations, with a further 2,000 for the Queen Elizabeth Stadium demonstration and another 2,000 for the variety show.
He added that all citizens will need to undergo temperature checks and use the LeaveHomeSafe app before entering the venues.
Yeung also said that the athletes will not be allowed to have contact with citizens in public spaces.
"They will have to abide to a strict itinerary and can only participate in activities as one whole group. They cannot leave the group and join other activities individually," he said.
Yeung also said the delegation's visit is taking place later than usual as many of the athletes had to participate in the National Games in Shaanxi in September, right after the Tokyo Olympics. However, he is still confident that Hongkongers will react positively to the visit.
"Even without the usual close interaction between the athletes and citizens, I believe Hong Kong people will still be interested in watching their demonstrations and sharing," he said.
Yeung added that the delegation will meet with local athletes and students in primary and secondary schools on December 5. He also stated that the welcoming ceremony and dinner banquet will be reduced in scale and participants will have to follow pandemic precautions.
