Varsity Teams, Inter-University Competition and Sporting Events

A university's sporting character is often written by the terrain it stands on. CUHK sits on a hillside by the sea, at Tolo Harbour and Ma Liu Shui, with ample sports grounds and waterways—and on top of that, nine colleges each field their own teams. This geography has long made it a major player in Hong Kong's inter-university sports scene, particularly strong in aquatic sports and athletics. This article surveys CUHK's competitive sport: the inter-university league (USFHK) and varsity teams, the water-sports traditions of rowing and dragon boat, the swimming and athletics meets and inter-collegiate competitions, and the Physical Education Unit and the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education.

Sports affairs within CUHK are coordinated by the Physical Education Unit (PEU), while the academic side falls to the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education (SSPE). The "Two Great Universities" rivalry between CUHK and HKU—the annual inter-university athletic meet, the rowing race, and the Vice-Chancellors' Cup—is a topic of its own, covered in A Panorama of the Two-University Athletic Rivalry. This article focuses solely on CUHK's own teams and competition system, without repeating the details of that rivalry.

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# I. The Stage of Inter-University Sport: USFHK and Varsity Teams

The main stage on which CUHK's varsity teams compete is the coordinating body for Hong Kong's inter-university sport—the University Sports Federation of Hong Kong, China (USFHK). According to USFHK's official information, the Federation was founded in 1961^※, organises sports competitions between universities, and as a member of the International University Sports Federation and the Asian University Sports Federation, represents Hong Kong in international university-level competitions^※. The Federation now has 13 member institutions, including CUHK, HKU, HKUST, PolyU, CityU, HKBU, Lingnan, EdUHK, HSUHK, HKMU, HKSYU, HKCT and VTC^※, and was formally registered as a limited company in 2016^※.

USFHK runs individual-sport leagues throughout the year (commonly known as the "Inter-University Cup" 大专杯), covering football, basketball, volleyball, handball, athletics (the Athletics Meet), swimming (the Swimming Gala), fencing, badminton, table tennis, tennis, squash, rowing, dragon boat, cross-country, martial arts and many other sports, with institutions competing for trophies in each discipline.

On the CUHK side, there are dozens of varsity teams, selected and trained under the coordination of the Physical Education Unit, spanning ball sports, athletics, swimming, fencing, martial arts, rowing, dragon boat, tennis, badminton, table tennis, squash, cross-country, orienteering and more. Team members may apply for sports scholarships / athlete incentive schemes, and there are recognition mechanisms such as the "Most Valuable Player" (MVP) award.

Results in individual sports vary considerably from year to year; for specific placings, please refer to the official USFHK results for each academic year and announcements by the CUHK Physical Education Unit.

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# II. Two Pathways for Elite Athletes: The Sports Scholarship Scheme and SALSA

CUHK's long-standing competitiveness in the inter-university sports scene rests not only on geography and the college system, but also on a well-established mechanism for recruiting elite athletes. According to official information from the CUHK Physical Education Unit^※, the University has offered the Sports Scholarship Scheme since September 2001, enabling members of Hong Kong representative teams, youth squad members, or elite athletes from Hong Kong schools to enrol at CUHK and train while studying—with explicitly stated goals: to expand access for elite athletes, to balance academic and athletic development, to strengthen the link between university and secondary-school sport, and to enhance the overall sporting atmosphere on campus.

The Scheme has three funding levels: Outstanding Athletes Scholarship (HK$80,000), Excellent Athletes Scholarship (HK$30,000) and Merit Athletes Scholarship (HK$15,000). Applicants must be Hong Kong permanent residents, meet the University's general admission requirements, and be current or former members of Hong Kong representative teams or youth squads, or elite athletes from Hong Kong schools. Awardees are re-assessed annually; continued funding and renewal in subsequent years depend on sustained performance in both academics and sport, with the maximum funding period matching the length of the recipient's degree programme.

In addition, according to official information from the CUHK Physical Education Unit^※, CUHK also offers the Yeung Ming Biu & Au Po Kee Outstanding Athletes Scholarship, which recognises athletes with outstanding performance at the University, with approximately 5 to 10 awards each year.

Scholarships address the "funding" question, but elite athletes train and compete away from campus throughout the year—admission thresholds and the structure of programmes themselves also need to give way. To that end, the University Grants Committee (UGC) launched the cross-institutional Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA) in February 2022, and CUHK is a participating institution. According to CUHK Communications and Public Relations Office^※, SALSA allows elite athletes to apply for direct admission to university on the strength of their sporting achievements rather than academic results alone; admitted students may choose from fifty undergraduate programmes at CUHK, with maximum study periods extendable to the standard programme duration plus six years for undergraduate degrees, and plus two years for associate degree programmes^※, accompanied by additional academic support, one-on-one academic tutoring, and a mentorship and internship programme run with Citi Hong Kong. The scheme has no quota or age limit. In the first year of the scheme (2022/23), CUHK admitted 38 elite athletes through SALSA and the Sports Scholarship Scheme among other channels, according to CUHK Communications and Public Relations Office^※, with 13 of them entering via the new SALSA pathway, across sports including skating, swimming, athletics, para-badminton, rugby, triathlon, tennis, karate, martial arts and karting^※. The Sports Scholarship Scheme handles "funding", SALSA handles "admission and programme flexibility"—together they form the institutional backbone of CUHK's dual-track development for elite athletes, in which training and academics are given equal weight.

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# III. Water Sports: CUHK's Traditional Strength

Built on the water's edge, CUHK's geography has made aquatic events its most distinctive strength.

Rowing is the flagship. The CUHK Rowing Team is a water-sports varsity team with a long history, competing both in USFHK competitions and as one of the central events in the CUHK–HKU rivalry, carrying on the Oxford/Cambridge tradition of competitive rowing. According to CUHK's Office of Institutional Advancement, in 2010, the CUHK Rowing Team won two major competitions^※; recent results have been even more impressive—according to the CUHK Communications and Public Relations Office, at the HILX Challenge Cup Hong Kong Universities Rowing Championships held on 24–25 August 2024, the CUHK Rowing Team took the overall championship, the men's overall title and the women's overall runner-up, collecting 11 medals in total (4 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze)^※; eight institutions took part in that edition, including CUHK (CityU, HKBU, HKUST, Lingnan, EdUHK, PolyU, HKU and CUHK)^※.

Dragon Boat carries traditional festivity into competitive sport: CUHK fields a dragon boat team that competes in a number of Hong Kong dragon boat races (including Dragon Boat Festival events and inter-school / inter-university championships), giving the University's water-sports tradition a cultural dimension.

The Swimming Gala extends the water culture into campus life: the University has a swimming pool and fields a team for inter-university swimming competitions, while both colleges and the University hold swimming meets and fun events in the gala spirit—part competition, part a traditional occasion for bringing students together and showcasing college identity.

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# IV. CUHK's Olympians and Paralympians

The ultimate proof of CUHK's elite-athlete recruitment mechanisms lies in the individuals and their results—since SALSA and the Sports Scholarship Scheme were introduced, athletes studying at CUHK have stood on the top podiums at the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games and the World Championships.

Vivian Kong Man-wai is the best-known example. A CUHK law PhD student since 2021, she came from behind to win the women's individual épée final 13:12 at the Paris 2024 Olympics, securing the first gold medal for the Hong Kong, China delegation at those Games^※; the University's Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Rocky Tuan, promptly issued a public congratulation. According to CUHK Communications and Public Relations Office^※ report, the Vice-Chancellor's congratulatory message affirmed her dual-track path of "balancing competitive training with a doctoral degree in law"—echoing precisely the design intent of the scholarship / SALSA schemes described in Section II.

Chu Man-kai is the representative case of a Paralympian admitted through SALSA. According to CUHK Communications and Public Relations Office^※, he won a silver medal in the men's singles SH6 badminton event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, then won the 2022 World Para-Badminton Championships (Tokyo) and rose to world No. 1 in his category; the same year he enrolled at CUHK through SALSA, majoring in the Physical Education, Exercise Science and Health programme, balancing rehabilitation for a right-leg injury with professional training and academic study.

Both cases follow the same institutional logic: CUHK treats elite athletes not merely as a source of team victories, but builds the dual-track path of "athlete identity + degree" into the design of admission and funding. A fuller list of CUHK alumni in sport (including triathlon, long-distance running, squash, wheelchair fencing and other disciplines) can be found in Notable Alumni.

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# V. A Snapshot of Major Sporting Events

CUHK's sporting calendar spans two levels—the whole University and the colleges:

CUHK teams have also taken the overall title in the two-university contest: according to the CUHK Newsletter, at the 27th Annual Inter-University Meet (AIG), CUHK "regained" the overall championship trophy by a margin of just one point, with twelve individual sports contested that year^※; the previous victory had been at the 25th edition^※. Details of each edition can be found in the rivalry feature.

The USFHK Inter-University Cup is more than an extension of the two-university contest—it is the regular battleground where CUHK's varsity teams take on all thirteen member institutions, and football is one of the events with the most participating institutions and the highest public profile. According to Hong Kong China News Agency^※, in the women's final of the Hong Kong Inter-University Football Competition 2025–2026, held on 21 March 2026 at the Joint Sports Centre, CUHK beat PolyU 1–0 thanks to a goal from Lam Oi-yau in the 67th minute^※; in the same season's men's final, PolyU successfully defended their title, with CUHK defeating HKUST 2–1 in the third-place match^※. Results of this kind fluctuate from year to year, which bears out the reminder at the top of this article—for specific placings, refer to the official USFHK results for each academic year and announcements by the CUHK Physical Education Unit. This is simply one recorded example of recent results.

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# VI. Inter-Collegiate Sport: Competition Among the Colleges

CUHK's distinctive college system gives rise to a lively inter-collegiate sports competition—alongside the university team system, the nine colleges maintain their own rivalry:

Inter-collegiate competitions and university-level team events together make up the two-tier sporting life of CUHK—"the whole University and the colleges." Sporting traditions at the hall level are covered separately in Residence, Hall Culture and College Traditions.

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# VII. The Physical Education Unit and the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education

The Physical Education Unit (PEU) and sports facilities: CUHK's sports facilities are coordinated by the PEU and are generally open to students and staff free of charge or at low cost, with each college also maintaining its own sports grounds. Major facilities include several sports halls (for basketball, volleyball, badminton and handball) and activity rooms, gymnasiums at the University and college level, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a track and field ground, football pitches, tennis courts, squash courts, and a water sports centre at Ma Liu Shui—the latter providing training waters and facilities for the rowing, canoeing and other water-sports teams. The Chung Chi Sports Ground and the various college courts and gyms form the college-level tier. Beyond coordinating competitions and training, the PEU is also the administrative unit responsible for the Sports Scholarship Scheme and the Yeung Ming Biu & Au Po Kee Scholarship described above, bringing "recruitment of elite athletes" and "everyday training facilities" under one administrative system.

The Department of Sports Science and Physical Education (SSPE): CUHK combines competitive sport with academic research and teacher training through the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, which focuses on promoting human health through sport and physical activity. The Department offers undergraduate programmes related to sport and exercise science (Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Science) and postgraduate programmes (Master of Science, Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Doctor of Philosophy). Its research areas cover cognitive-motor development, sport psychology and motor learning, exercise physiology and fitness, physical literacy promotion, sports biomechanics and injury prevention, and sports nutrition.

The dual-track design of competition and academia: the Physical Education Unit handles "training" (selection, coaching, facilities, scholarships), while the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education handles "learning" (research, teaching and teacher training in sport science)—a dual-track arrangement that makes CUHK's sporting landscape not just a varsity results sheet but a complete ecosystem of sport science teaching and research, with the two sides reinforcing each other.

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# Related Reading

• A Panorama of the Two-University Athletic Rivalry—the full history and results of the Annual Inter-University Meet, the Vice-Chancellors' Cup football match and the two-university rowing race
• Residence, Hall Culture and College Traditions—sporting traditions at the hall level and college belonging
• Notable Alumni—sport scholars produced by CUHK's Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, and more alumni who have represented Hong Kong

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