KMB Awards Free-ride Passes and Bus Naming Plates to Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Athletes as Appreciation of Efforts

KMB has announced that one-year free rides and bus naming rights would be awarded to all Hong Kong, China athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. KMB held an appreciation ceremony at the Kowloon Bay Depot today (15 December, 2021) to award the bus ride passes and bus naming plates to the athletes, and wish them further success in the future

The Hong Kong athletes provided excellent performance in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Mr. Pui Kwan-kay, Chef de Mission of the Hong Kong, China Delegation to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games; Mr. Wayman Ho, Executive Committee Member of Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled, together with Ms. Ho Nam Wai Tinky, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Swimming Athlete; Ms. Hung Wing Yan Winne, Rowing Athlete; Mr. Chu Man Kai, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Badminton Men's Singles SH6 Silver Medalist; Mr. Ngai Ka Chuen, Archery Athlete; Ms. Chung Yuen Ping and Ms. NG Justine Charissa, Wheelchair Fencing Athlete; and Ms. Tse Pui Ting Natasha and Mr Tsang Tin Chi Timothy, Equestrian Athlete, attended the Ceremony on behalf of all the athletes of the Hong Kong Delegation and received the one-year free rides passes from KMB. KMB also awarded the bus naming plates to all the Hong Kong Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games athletes. A tag with the athlete’s name and a message of thanks will be displayed at the front of the bus compartment to commend his effort and contribution. The tag will remain on the bus until the bus is decommissioned.

Some athletes chose the routes according to their own preference. For instance, Mr. Ngai Ka Chuen, Archery Athlete, chose Route 1 [Star Ferry ⇋ Chuk Yuen Estate] which implies winning the first place in competition; Ms. Tse Pui Ting, Natasha, Equestrian Athlete, chose Route 259D [Tuen Mun (Lung Mun Oasis) ⇋ Lei Yue Mun Estate] since it passes through the Tuen Mun Public Riding School where she was trained. Ms. Tse Ying Suet and Ms. Tang Chun Man, the Badminton Mixed Doubles, chose Route 270 and 271 respectively as they travel with these two routes since they were small. Mr. Ng Ka Long, Angus, Badminton Athlete, chose Route 1A as the service covers the places he lived in at all times and “A” stands for “Angus”.

KMB will arrange routes for the athletes who have yet shown their preference. For instance, the named bus for Ms. Siobhan Haughey, the Silver Medalist Women's 100 and 200-metre freestyle will mainly serve Route 66X which starts and ends at the Olympic Station that serves a commemorative purpose. Please refer to the attached table for the named buses of the athletes.

“Our athletes gave their best in the Olympic and Paralympic arenas which deserves the applause from all of us. KMB fully supports the Hong Kong athletes. We will continue to cheer for them and we wish them success again in the future.” said Mr. William Louey, Non-Executive Director of the Transport International Holdings Ltd.

“The Hong Kong delegation has been invited to participate in celebrations organized by all walks of life upon the end of the Olympic Games. I deeply feel the enthusiasm and support from the society and the public, and I hope this will persist. I am very grateful for the effort from the athletes and sports workers on promoting the development of sports in Hong Kong. I hope that in the near future, major companies in Hong Kong can have closer ties and cooperation with the sports industry to boost its development.” said Mr. Pui Kwan-kay, Chef de Mission of the Hong Kong, China Delegation to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

“KMB's unfailing support to athletes has helped increase the recognition and concern on Para sports in the society. The Association will continue to promote the integration of sports into the daily lives of the disabled. We hope that the public and corporates will encourage the disabled to participate in sports and jointly promote the local development of sports.” said Mr. Wayman Ho, Executive Committee Member of Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled

“My family always tell me that giving my best is more important than the result. Thank you for their encouragement which gives me strength to continue my athlete career.” said Ms. Ho Nam Wai Tinky, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Swimming Athlete in the Ceremony.

“Being able to become a Badminton Athlete is not only a gift from fate, but also thanks to the effort from my coach and supporting team. This Paralympic medal does not only belongs to me, but also the people who support me.” said Mr. Chu Man Kai, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Badminton Men's Singles SH6 Silver Medalist.

The KMB representative introduced the details of the tags installation to the athletes after the Ceremony. The athletes also took photos and chit-chat with the KMB staff members who were present to support them.

The Olympic-themed bus designed by KMB has been put into service earlier. The silhouettes of athletes on the bus body symbolise the Hong Kong Delegation’s participation in 13 Olympic events, including Aquatics, Athletics and Gymnastic. The wording of “PROUD OF YOU” is printed to thank every athlete for making history for Hong Kong. The two Olympic buses mainly serves Routes 66X [Tuen Mun (Tai Hing)] ⇋ Olympic Station] and 270B [Sheung Shui ⇋ Olympic Station] to promote the spirit of the Olympic Games.

Table 1: The “named buses” for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Hong Kong Athletes

Table 2: The “named buses” for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Hong Kong Athletes

 Photo captions:

	The representatives of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled, and the athletes, accepted the free-ride passes and bus naming plates from KMB. (From Left：Mr Abraham Cheng, Chief Executive of Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China; Mr Pui Kwan-kay, Chef de Mission of the Hong Kong, China Delegation to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games; Mr. William Louey, Non-Executive Director of the Transport International Holdings Ltd.; Ms. Chung Yuen Ping, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Wheelchair Fencing Athlete; Ms. Hung Wing Yan Winne, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Rowing Athlete; Ms. Ho Nam Wai Tinky, Swimming Athlete; Ms. NG Justine Charissa, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Wheelchair Fencing Athlete; Mr. Chu Man Kai, Badminton Men's Singles SH6 event Silver Medalist; Mr. Ngai Ka Chuen, Archery Athlete; Ms. Tse Pui Ting Natasha and Mr Tsang Tin Chi Timothy, Equestrian Athlete; Mr Wayman Ho, Executive Committee Member of Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled; Mr. Steve Hui, Administration Director of the Transport International Holdings Ltd.)
	KMB employees came to support the athletes and took a group photo with the guests on stage.
	The representatives of athletes share the moments of training and joining the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
	A tag with the athlete’s name and a message of thanks will be displayed at the front of the bus compartment to commend his effort and contribution. The tag will remain on the bus until the bus is decommissioned. (Top Left: Ms. Ho Nam Wai, Tinky, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Swimming Athlete Top Right: Ms. Hung Wing Yan Winne, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Rowing Athlete Lower Left: Mr. Chu Man Kai, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Badminton Men's Singles SH6 event Silver Medalist Lower Right: Mr. Ngai Ka Chuen, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Archery Athlete