Hong Kong Olympian Kong Man Wai drops Canadian passport to run for legislature

(ECNS) - Hong Kong Olympic gold medalist Vivian Kong Man Wai said Monday she has applied to renounce her Canadian passport to qualify for the 2025 Hong Kong Legislative Council election, according to local media reports.

Kong has registered her candidacy and will run in the tourism functional constituency, saying she hopes to “serve Hong Kong and give back to society,” according to Ming Pao and HK01.

Despite limited prior connection to the tourism sector, Kong said the spirit of sports applies to all fields, adding that as an athlete competing around the world, she often "proudly" introduced Hong Kong to others.

"Viewing Hong Kong from a traveler’s perspective helps one to better appreciate its beauty, and I hope to contribute to the industry," she said.

Candidates for the Legislative Council cannot hold foreign residency rights under Hong Kong’s Basic Law.

Kong, who moved to Canada with her family as a child, had previously considered running in a "direct geographical constituency".

A 2021 graduate of Renmin University of China’s Law School, Kong wrote her master’s thesis on the harms of Hong Kong’s Occupy Central movement, emphasizing the need to improve the “one country, two systems” framework and the city’s electoral system.

(By Zhang Jiahao)