CHEUNG KA-LONG’S ROLE IN PARIS OLYMPICS CEREMONY A GOOD OMEN IN HONGKONGER’S HISTORY BID

The fencing champion also carried the flag at the opening of the Tokyo Games - and coach Greg Koenig hopes history will repeat itself

Fencing coach Greg Koenig said Cheung Ka-long being the city's flag-bearer at Friday's Olympic opening ceremony could be a good omen as the Hongkonger seeks to defend his title in Paris.

The reigning men's foil champion carried Hong Kong's Bauhinia flag alongside swimmer Siobhan Haughey and Koenig said he had only one query when his pupil approached him for permission.

"I only asked, 'Do you want to do it'?" the Frenchman said. "Cheung replied he wanted to represent Hong Kong and would be proud to do so.

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"To be happy and proud is very good for the mind [of an athlete], it gives a lot of dopamine and if he has a lot of dopamine, maybe he will be much stronger on the strip."

One of the two flag-bearers for the city in Tokyo three years ago, world No 3 Cheung became the first athlete to land the role in back-to-back Summer Games.

"There was no need to discuss further if I felt that it would make him happy and stronger," Koenig said. "I don't need to overthink anything and make the decision.

"If he was fencing on Saturday ... for sure it would be no. But as it's on July 29, he will have plenty of time to recover and continue training.

"And it worked very well in Tokyo, so OK, let's cross our fingers and maybe it can help us for France."

Koenig added that he was not happy about Cheung carrying the flag in Japan in 2021 but decided to let him do it and "he became the Olympic champion". He will this year aim to become only the third men's foilist to retain the title.

"It's three days before the competition in France - if I tell him not to do it and he does not succeed ... maybe the fact [for Cheung] to be flag-bearer is a sign for me," Koenig said.

Cheung, 27, will not be in action on Saturday, but several other Hong Kong representatives will be.

All eyes will be on fellow fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai as she begins her golden quest at the Grand Palais.

The world No 1 women's epeeist received a bye in Thursday's draw and will play the winner of the tie between Aya Hussein of Egypt and Senegal's Ndeye Binta Diongue in the round of 32.

The first Hong Kong athlete to win multiple medals at one Games, Haughey is not swimming on Saturday, but fifth-time Olympian Stephanie Au Hoi-shun will lead the city's charge in the pool, in the women's 4x100m free relay at the Paris La Defense Arena.

Table tennis mixed doubles pair Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi-kem will also be in action as they face Hungarian duo Nandor Ecseki and Dora Madarasz in the round of 16.

Badminton mixed doubles pair Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet, who finished fourth in Tokyo, will play their first group match at Porte de la Chapelle Arena.

While two of the three teams in Group C will qualify for the knockout stage after the withdrawal of Danish pair Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje, Tang downplayed suggestions of a "better" chance of advancing.

"There's a rest day between Saturday and Monday and we can focus on our two matches," he said. "But we were not thinking about our chances yet because it could be down to points differences - so every point counts."

Women's doubles pair Yeung Nga-ting and Yeung Pui-lam will also face a Hungarian duo in sisters Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva in the first of their three Group B matches.

Veteran gymnast Stone Shek Wai-hung will start his third Olympics at the Bercy Arena in the men's vault qualifying round hoping to rank inside the top eight and a spot in the August 4 final.

Rower Chiu Hin-chun, who is returning to the Olympics stage after an eight-year absence, will compete in the men's single sculls heat at the National Olympic Nautical Stadium in Vaires-sur-Marne.

Making her Olympics debut in the women's under-48kg category, judoka Wong Ka-lee faces Austria's Katharina Tanzer, who ranks 17 places higher at world No 40, in the opening round. A potential bout against Mongolia's world No 2 and reigning world and Asian champion Bavuudorjiin Baasankhuu awaits if Wong advances.