The Hong Kong Tennis Association was proud to host its first-ever HKTA Outstanding Awards 2003 presentation ceremony at the Sports House on December 7 to salute and pay special tribute to those who have accomplished outstanding achievements in the game of tennis in Hong Kong, as well as to those have who played a significant role in shaping the Association through its success and progress over the years.

This year's inaugural Awards, sponsored by CSL, AIA Foundation, and Aramis Life, was indeed a memorable milestone in the glorious history of the Association. In a well-attended ceremony, more than 30 awards were presented under various categories at the presentation. [Photo Gallery]

HKTA Outstanding Awards 2003 Roll of Honour

One of the highlights of the presentation ceremony was the HKTA Hall of Fame. The President of the Hong Kong Tennis Association, Mr. Kenneth Tsui, gave an emotional introduction to the Hall of Fame. It was indeed a special occasion because it marked the first time those great men and women who pioneered tennis in Hong Kong were appreciated in such a manner. Those Hall of Fame inductees that were present at the ceremony all gave moving acceptance speeches, firm evidence of their heartfelt appreciation of the honour that were bestowed upon them.

One of those inductees present was Mrs. Ling Tsui Yuen Yuen who, till this day, remains the first and only tennis player from Hong Kong to bring home a medal from the Asian Games when she partnered Ranjani Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka to win the silver medal in the Women's Doubles event at the 1962 Asian Games in Tokyo.

Also present at the ceremony was famed local actor and singer, Jacky Cheung Hok Yau, who was duly awarded with the President's Award for his contribution to tennis in the community.

Jacky Cheung had actively been involved with various HKTA activities over the past year, tirelessly promoting the sport to the public of Hong Kong, such as recording a number of promotional passages that were aired in hundreds of buses across town via RoadShow propagating the slogan "Learn Tennis From The HKTA", and paying a number of visits to Talent Group trainings and speaking to TG players. During his acceptance speech, he pledged to continue to support the Association in the coming years and the sport that he loves most.

Moreover, several specially rewritten musical numbers were performed by talented tennis enthusiasts and were thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. Prizes, including Jacky Cheung autographed CDs, were given away in the form of specially marked tennis balls delivered to the audience by Jacky himself via a giant-sized tennis racquet at the end of the ceremony that had everyone on their feet.