Howard Wing

The son of a Chinese father and an Irish mother, Howard Wing grew up in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam. As a teenager, Wing proved to be a talented track cyclist, and trained with the Dutch team. After it was discovered he did not possess a Dutch passport and was thus unable to compete in the Olympics, he was invited to join the Chinese team for the Berlin Games. Never having visited China, Wing accepted and travelled to Berlin. The Chinese cycling team turned out to be very poorly organized, and Wing was mostly left to himself. Despite this, he also represented China at eight World Championships, as well as the 1948 Olympics. In London, Wing broke his collar bone after a fall, effectively ending his cycling career. In 1956 Wing, who owned a business specializing in store displays, emigrated to Canada, where he lived in Niagara Falls until his death.