Hong Kong, China (HKG)

The National Olympic Committee of Hong Kong was formed on 24 November 1950 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 7 May 1951 at the IOC session in Vienna. Hong Kong first competed at the 1952 Olympic Games and has since missed only the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Hong Kong first competed at the Olympic Winter Games in 2002, represented by two female short-track speed skaters, and has also competed in 2006, 2010,2014, and 2018. Despite this long Olympic history, prior to 1996, no Hong Kong athlete had ever finished in the top 10. In Atlanta, Lee Lai Shan won Hong Kong’s first Olympic medal, a gold in boardsailing, with Ko Lai Chak and Li Ching adding a silver medal in men’s doubles table tennis in 2004, and with Lee Wai Sze winning bronze in the 2012 women’s keirin. On 1 July 1997, China regained sovereignty over Hong Kong, but it was agreed that the territory would retain a separate Olympic identity as Hong Kong, China.