Over 1,000 policymakers, researchers and young entrepreneurs gathered at the Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday for the city's first youth development summit, organised by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau.

In his opening speech, Chief Executive John Lee said young people should learn from the Olympic spirit and be inspired by Hong Kong's young athletes.

"While we can't all be Olympic champions, we can all be champions of our own stories. We can all live in the spirit of the Olympic motto, faster, higher, stronger, together, in our pursuit," Lee said.

Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong also attended the summit, where she showed her medal from the Paris Games to audience members.

Kong, who won gold in the women's individual epee, said she was initially very nervous.

"Every time I was nervous, I would turn and channel all that energy into training. So the more nervous I got, the more training I did, and that gave me the confidence to be like: okay, I am doing everything I can to fence the best that I can at the Olympics and I shouldn't be scared, I shouldn't be worried about the results", the 30-year-old fencer said.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Eric Chan said that the government's youth development blueprint could provide all-round support to its targeted beneficiaries of those aged between 12 and 39.

The blueprint was rolled out in December 2022, with around 60 additional measures added last year.

One of them includes the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for youth. The government is working to triple the number of participating advisory committees to not less than 180 in the current term.

"To date, 85 government advisory committees have joined the scheme, covering trade and industry, innovation and technology, human resources planning, child affairs, and much more," Chan said.

He emphasised that the energy, creativity, and resilience of young people will help create a better future.
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Last updated: 2024-08-10 HKT 17:14