VIDEO SHOWS: 31-YEAR-OLD HONG KONG OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST FENCER, VIVIAN KONG SPEAKING TO MEDIA ANNOUNCING RUNNING LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTION AS TOURISM SECTOR CANDIDATE / SOUNDBITE FROM KONG, LOCAL RESIDENT AND POLITICAL SCIENTIST / ELECTION CAMPAIGN FLAGS FLYING ON STREET RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: HONG KONG, CHINA (NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. 31-YEAR-OLD HONG KONG OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST FENCER, VIVIAN KONG, GREETING AND SHAKING HANDS WITH TOURISM SECTOR LEADERS 2. VARIOUS OF KONG POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH TOURISM SECTOR LEADERS 3. PHOTOGRAPHERS WORKING 4. VARIOUS OF KONG POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH TOURISM SECTOR LEADERS 5. KONG STANDING IN FRONT OF MICROPHONES 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) 31-YEAR-OLD HONG KONG OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST FENCER, VIVIAN KONG, SAYING: "After retiring from being a full-time athlete, I stepped out of my comfort zone. I gradually realised that the spirit of sports actually applies to every field." 7. KONG POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH TOURISM SECTOR LEADERS 8. (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese/English) 31-YEAR-OLD HONG KONG OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST FENCER, VIVIAN KONG, SAYING: "As an athlete, I had always worked very hard, hoping to win a gold medal and bring pride to Hong Kong. When I travelled around the world for competitions, people from different countries would ask me, 'Where are you from?'. I'd say, 'Hong Kong.' Then I'd ask them if they had ever been there, and most would say, 'No.' I'd tell them, "You must come next time! You'll definitely love it.' So now that I'm no longer an athlete, I still really want to attract more people to visit Hong Kong, because — just like in my own profession — our industry believes in Hong Kong. We know it's a very attractive place, and the whole world should come and share in our love for this city." 9. PHOTOGRAPHERS 10. (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) 31-YEAR-OLD HONG KONG OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST FENCER, VIVIAN KONG, SAYING: "I also hope to contribute something to the industry. As an athlete, I always wanted to bring glory to Hong Kong; but beyond that, I now want to make a bigger contribution through my work." 11. KONG POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH TOURISM SECTOR LEADERS 12. (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) 31-YEAR-OLD HONG KONG OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST FENCER, VIVIAN KONG, SAYING: "I've already applied to renounce my Canadian passport." 13. KONG LEAVING, SURROUNDED BY JOURNALISTS 14. KONG SURROUNDED BY JOURNALISTS, SAYING (Cantonese): "EVERYONE COME VISIT HONG KONG MORE OFTEN" 15. JOURNALISTS SURROUNDING KONG WHO ENTERS BUILDING AND WAVES BYE TO MEDIA HONG KONG, CHINA (NOVEMBER 4, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 16. ELECTION POSTERS AND BANNERS DISPLAYED ON STREET 17. VOLUNTEER HANDING OUT LEAFLETS 18. (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) 72-YEAR-OLD HONG KONG RESIDENT, JULIA WONG, SAYING: "It's (She is) fine, she should have some recognition (around the world) already. If she's elected, foreigners would likely know who she is." OFF-CAMERA JOURNALIST ASKING WONG A QUESTION WONG SAYING: "She has explained her choice herself. She said she picked the tourism sector because when she travels around, she met many people who did not know much about Hong Kong, and she wanted to introduce the city to them. She thinks the tourism constituency suits her and wants to contribute more through that role." 19. ELECTION BANNERS DISPLAYED ALONG STREET 20. VARIOUS OF POLITICAL SCIENTIST, SONNY LO SPEAKING DURING INTERVIEW 21. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLITICAL SCIENTIST, SONNY LO, SAYING: "Vivian Kong's participation in the upcoming Legislative Council elections is significant in several aspects. First, it symbolised the success of China's United Front work, targeting the young people of Hong Kong, especially the sports athletes. Secondly, Vivian Kong strategically moved to the tourism functional constituency in which the competition tends to be less fierce. Which means that her chance of being elected as a legislative councillor will be relatively high. And thirdly, Beijing wants to rejuvenate the profile of candidates through Vivian Kong's participation, such that more young people will be aware of the election, and hopefully this can indirectly stimulate younger people to vote in the upcoming elections." 22. VARIOUS OF LO SPEAKING DURING INTERVIEW 23. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLITICAL SCIENTIST, SONNY LO, SAYING: "I think Beijing wants to create a kind of more dynamic legislature in the medium and also long term, believing that if the voter turnout in this upcoming election will be high, then one day Beijing will consider or reconsider the possibility of direct election of the Chief Executive. Because having a strong Chief Executive with a strong legitimacy from the voting from the patriotic camp versus a relatively weak legislature will be in conformity with Beijing's wish to entrench the executive-led system in the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region). So as such, Beijing is relatively open-minded to this possibility, but in the short run, Hong Kong people have to demonstrate their political enthusiasm in political participation in this election, both in terms of running as candidates and also voting in the elections." 24. VARIOUS OF ELECTION CAMPAIGN BANNERS AND FLAGS DISPLAYED ON STREET HONG KONG, CHINA (FILE – JUNE 15, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 25. EXTERIOR OF HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BUILDING 26. HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL LOGO HONG KONG, CHINA (FILE – JUNE 10, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 27. VARIOUS OF SKYLINE STORY: Hong Kong’s star fencer Vivian Kong, who won gold at the Paris Olympics, has entered the electoral fray as China strives to shore up the legitimacy of the city's legislature even though it vets all prospective candidates. Beijing loyalists control the Legislative Council (Legco) but state media outlets have indicated that China wants more political talent and competition amongst its allies, with around one-third of the current legislature set to step down including veteran lawmakers from major pro-Beijing parties. Kong, 31, who was dressed in a white silk blouse and followed by a media scrum this week as she tried to leave an event where she announced her candidacy, said she would give up her Canadian citizenship to run.  The entry by Kong, who is openly pro-Beijing, into the race is an example of non-party elites entering politics at a time when Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have sought to frame the city as democratic and open amid international criticism of the national security crackdown. "Let me try to serve Hong Kong more … and win glory for Hong Kong," said Kong earlier this week. The epee fencer staged a dramatic comeback in the 2024 Olympics final against a French rival to become the city's third gold medallist. She won't contest one of the 20 directly elected seats in the 90-member legislature, but one of 30 seats reserved for those who represent professional sectors. A 1,500-strong committee stacked with Beijing loyalists will directly select 40 legislators. For the tourism sector that Kong is contesting despite having no prior experience in that field, there are only around 176 votes and two candidates so far. This compares with directly elected seats where competition is fiercer with hundreds of thousands of eligible voters. "An important purpose of the central government's improvement of Hong Kong's electoral system is to reverse the past trend of political infighting and build a high-quality democratic system," China's state-owned Ta Kung Pao newspaper wrote in an editorial this week. It added such a system would support the government to enhance economic development. China's Liaison Office in Hong Kong did not immediately respond to a request for comment. After mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, China imposed a national security law in 2020 and revamped the electoral system in 2021, effectively marginalising the once feisty opposition. The electoral overhaul included reducing the percentage of directly elected seats from half to less than a quarter and the instal…
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
