Sarah Lee has made herself a role model for young people

Hong Kong people need not feel disappointed by the failure of their athletes to win any medals at the Rio Olympics. On the contrary, they should feel immensely proud of all those young athletes who gave their best at the games for Hong Kong.

One athlete stands out among this distinguished group. Although she was denied a chance to win a medal by a freak accident, cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze has won the hearts and minds of millions of Hong Kong people with her sportsmanship and perseverance in overcoming the pain of injury to compete against the best in the world.

Doing so, she has accomplished what many political, social and business leaders in Hong Kong have tried and failed: To inspire young people in the pursuit of excellence in whatever they do.

In recent years, many older-generation Hong Kong people have grown accustomed to complaining about the loss of the former glory for which they are keen to take credit. Their complaints tend to focus on the younger people who are being accused of losing the drive to create new opportunities while indulging in self-pity.

Tiresome as it may sound, there is some justification in blaming the younger-generation politicians and business leaders for the lack of a new direction to overcome the challenges posed by the rapid development of the competing economies of the region in recent years. The fastdiminishing importance of Hong Kong as the region’s premier business and cultural hub has fueled widespread discontent and sapped the self-confidence of many young people.

In the process, the authorities of the government and various established institutions in finance and other professions that used to be trusted have now been brought into question. Business celebrities who were once lionized by an admiring public are now vilified for their lack of sensitivity to the struggling middle class and the plight of the many thousands of working poor.

This growing feeling of mistrust that has permeated every segment of society is widely seen to have greatly impeded the development of Hong Kong despite repeated warnings that it is falling behind other fast growing cities in the region. While politicians and social activists are blaming each other for tearing the city’s social fabric apart, Lee, the humble cyclist, has shown Hong Kong a way of galvanizing the public in setting a standard that soars above the common fray.

While politicians and social activists are blaming each other for tearing the city’s social fabric apart, Lee, the humble cyclist, has shown Hong Kong a way of galvanizing the public in setting a standard that soars above the common fray.”

Lee may not have the influence and stature to single-handedly reverse the fortunes of her native city. But her consistently exemplary performances in the Rio Olympics and other contests have more than qualified her as a role model — or, in the parlance of Hong Kong’s netizens, “goddess BB” — to the many thousands of despondent young people searching for a purpose in life.

Some of the older people may remember that they, too, went through that stage in life when they had lost a sense of direction. But in those simpler times there was no shortage of role models in business, entertainment and sport.

Now, what Hong Kong has for show are the bickering politicians attacking each other in the lordly chamber of the Legislative Council like a bunch of rowdy schoolchildren in the absence of the teacher. Anyone who cares to watch the televised debates of the candidates for the September LegCo election will invariably come away with the queasy feeling that the lawmaking function of Hong Kong is about to be taken over again by the political operators who can shout the loudest.

The self-made tycoons, whose rags-toriches stories had captivated and inspired generations of young entrepreneurs, have largely faded from the scene. The vacuum they left is filled by the second-generation business people without a story to tell and financial whizz-kids who socialize only among themselves in chic bars in Lan Kwai Fong or Wan Chai.

Hong Kong needs more people like Lee to fire the imaginations and stir up the spirit of its young people. The government has made substantial investment in promoting sports. It is money well spent.

The author is a veteran current affairs commentator.