Hong Kong Owes its National Olympic Committee to a Portuguese Man

In 1936, Yvonne Yeung became the first athlete born in Hong Kong to participate in the Olympic Games, held that year in Berlin, Germany. However, because, at the time, Hong Kong residents of Chinese descent were not granted British citizenship and because Hong Kong did not yet have a National Olympic Committee, she had to compete under the flag of the Republic of China.

While Yvonne Yeung made history as the first athlete from Hong Kong, Arnaldo Augusto de Oliveira Sales, a Portuguese man born in Canton, present-day Guangzhou, pursued his education in Hong Kong.

After fleeing to Macau during World War II, he returned to Hong Kong, where he rowed with the Victoria Recreation Club in his spare time. As the honorary secretary of the club, he advocated for better recognition of amateur sports in the city. In 1950, he established the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee.

Arnaldo Augusto de Oliveira Sales later applied to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for Hong Kong to be formally recognized and, In 1951, the IOC approved Hong Kong’s application.

One year later, Hong Kong sent its first delegation—comprising four swimmers—to the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland.