High on the Nansha trail

Sports promoter

Fok's baptism of fire came with the Nansha Marina project — the first he had led in 2008 since moving back to Hong Kong after studying and working abroad. Three years later, the marina was launched and it was graced by Jacques Rogge, then-president of the International Olympic Committee. "He (Rogge) had a word of encouragement, saying this was a pioneer project for sports," says Fok. "He (Rogge) also encouraged us to promote sailing which is an Olympic sport, especially youth sailing." Sometimes, a pat on the back from a very important person can be a source of motivation and hope for one to negotiate curveballs before making further advances. Fok did as Rogge had hoped. He approached local schools, offering sailing classes to give children early exposure to water sports.

Another seal of approval for Nansha's achievement in sailing came in 2018 when the Volvo Ocean Race — the sailing equivalent of the World Cup– chose Nansha Marina as its only stopover on the Chinese mainland. As Fok reminisces about this milestone, his excitement and pride are contagiously palpable.

Fok is also tackling the issue of yacht and boat movements between Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong, which are currently limited from navigating Chinese mainland waters. This constrains yachting from gaining nationwide traction. He has been actively promoting the realization of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Yachting Free Movement proposal. "Before the 1997 handover, cars couldn't move freely between Hong Kong and the mainland, but integrated policy and regulations have made it possible. So, wouldn't it happen to sailing? It could be just a matter of time."