Hong Kong Gold Medalist Retires After Pro-China Thesis Uproar
- Top fencer announces retirement without commenting on backlash
- Government adviser condemns critics over “rabid attacks”
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Hong Kong Olympic gold medalist Vivian Kong said she would quit her fencing career days after controversy erupted over her apparent support for Beijing’s crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement, underscoring political tensions in the Asian finance hub.
An academic paper purported to be her master’s thesis showed that Kong, one of two athletes from the city to pick up a gold medal from the Paris Games, condemned 2014 protests calling for freer elections. The document began circulating last week and prompted some fans to turn their back on the athlete after initially celebrating her victory in women’s épée last month.