On the back of excellent results achieved in 2005, both Venise Chan and the HK Junior Fed Cup Team had been nominated in the Junior Sports Stars and Team Event categories respectively for next month's Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards, referred to by many as the "Oscars" for local sports. Votes from the public will constitute 20% of the overall ballot. Show your support for tennis and cast your all-important vote via the official [Online Public Voting] before Tuesday, 31 January 2006!

Last year, the territory's Girls 16U team successfully qualified for the World Finals for an historic first time since the Jr Fed Cup's inception in 1985. Moreover, Venise, one of the team's main anchors, also managed to attain a Top-50 junior world ranking, squeezed in a quarterfinal showing at the Asian Championships in Tashkent, while wrapping up the year with a win in an ITF Women's event in Manila on her pro circuit debut and bagging her fourth local major by winning the CRC Open Ladies' Singles title.

In all, there are 38 nominees in the Hong Kong Junior Sports Stars Award category, while the Hong Kong Sports Stars Award for Team Event totalled 17 nominated entries.

Organzied by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, the Awards seek to encourage and recognise outstanding sporting achievements, and to provide role models and inspiration to the general public, while promoting the development of sports in Hong Kong.

This year, a total of 146 nominations were submitted by the various NSAs in Hong Kong, with Athletic's Tang Yik Chun and Cycling's Wong Kam Po out in front as the leading vote-getters in the blue riband event at the time of writing.

Last May, the Hong Kong Junior Fed Cup team of Venise Chan, Zhang Ling, Gerladine Leong, and Tsang Pui Yee came in third at the Asia/Oceania Qualifying in Bangkok to claim a spot at the World Finals in Barcelona in October. In the round robin stage, the girls from Hong Kong topped their group by defeating Sri Lanka, Chinese taipei and No. 4 seed Uzbekistan before seeing off Malaysia in the quarterfinals. Although the team went down against second-seeded Australia, 2-1, in the semis, Venise and Zhang Ling took both singles against No. 3 seed New Zealand to win the do-or-die third place playoff, 2-0, to secure the third and final qualifying entry from Asia/Oceania.

Playing at the number two spot, Venise went undefeated in singles play during the regional qualifying in Bangkok, while Zhang Ling's only setback came against Aussie number one and WTA No. 501, Shyana McDowell.

The trio of Venise, Zhang Ling, and Jessica Yang subsequently combined to place 11th overall when the HK Jr Fed Cup team saw off fifth-seeded Canada, 3-0, in their final positional playoff game at the Polo Club in Barcelona. In what was the territory's historic first appearance in the Junior Fed Cup World Finals, the girls had earlier secured a 3-0 victory over defending champions Argentina in their final group match in the round robin stage in order to qualify for the 9th - 12th place playoffs.

Since its inception in 1985, no team from Hong Kong had ever made it past the regional qualifiers in the Junior Fed Cup - the world's premier Girls' 16U team tennis competition under the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

On an individual basis, Venise Chan, currently ranked No. 37 in the world junior ranks and sixth overall in Asia, won four singles titles and three doubles titles on the ITF World Junior Circuit in 2004, not to mention reaching the quarterfinals of the Grade A Osaka Mayor's Cup and the finals of two other Grade 2 events as close to home as Mainland China and as far ashore as Pretoria, South Africa. In doubles play, the HKTA Academy member also reached the girls' semifinals in Osaka, as well as the Grade B1 Asia/Oceania Closed Championships in Thailand last October.

Facing professional players for the first time in her career last September, Venise stunned Korean world No. 338 and seventh-seed, Yoo Mi, in the opening round of the 2005 Asian Championships in Tashkent before putting an end to a spirited comeback by Filipino number one, Czarina-Mae Arevalo, in round two. Despite a straight-set setback against fourth-seeded world No. 232 and eventual champion, Akgul Amanmuradova, of Uzbekistan in the ensuing quarterfinals, the 16-year-old still walked away from the championships with one of the finest results in her burgeoning career.

In December, the 16-year-old then made her tournament debut on the ITF Women's Circuit a winning one, as she defeated Filipino number one, Czarina-Mae Arevalo, 6-1, 6-4, to capture the US$10,000 Holcim/ITF Women's Circuit 1 title in the Philippines. Without a WTA Ranking of any sort, the Hong Kong protege had to first negotiate two rounds of qualifying just to reach the maindraw before disposing three seeded players along the way to capturing the title – No. 8 seed Natasha Khan in the first round; No. 3 Rebecca Fong in the quarters; and top-seeded world No. 668, Lyoo-Suh Hee-Sun of Korea, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, in the semifinals.

No female player from the territory had won a pro circuit tournament since former Hong Kong number one, Tong Ka Po, won both singles and doubles titles at the C10 Tianjin in June 2002, which turned out to be the final tour event of a career that saw the former Hong Kong Fed Cupper peak at No. 236 on August 20, 2001.

At the US$10,000 Holcim/ITF Women's Circuit 2 immediately following, also in the Philippines, Venise proved her exploits the previous week was no random occurence when she took out two more seeded players to charge into the final before she was upended by world No. 858 and last season's UCLA number one, Riza Zalameda, 6-3, 6-2, in the title decider.

After these initial two ITF Women's Circuit events, Venise is a combined 10-1 in singles play, and the only reason stopping her from owning a WTA Ranking can be attributed to the rules of the professional women's circuit, which stipulates that a player must have played a minimum of three circuit events in order to hold a professional ranking. Her runner-up finish at the Holcim 2 netted Venise another four computer ranking points and, together with the six she had already earned as the winner of Holcim 1, one more victory in the maindraw of her next pro circuit tournament will earn the Hong Kong Junior Fed Cupper her career-first WTA Ranking.

In her final tournament of 2005, Venise came from the brink of defeat to secure her first CRC Open Ladies' Singles title, and her fourth local major overall after securing the SCAA Open and HK National titles last year in addition to another SCAA crown in 2003, as the rising sixteen year-old thwarted former three-time winner, Lam Po Kuen, in the final, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, after the number one seed had served for the match at 5-3 in the second set.

Earlier this week, both Venise Chan and Zhang Ling managed to reach the second round of the Australian Open Junior Championships 2006 before losing to higher-ranked, seeded players. Currently ranked at No. 96, Jessica Yang was also a direct acceptance, enabling Hong Kong to boast three players in the maindraw of the girls' singles, the most by any Asian country.

Right now, the girls are competing at the US$10,000 ITF Women's Circuit event in Taupo, New Zealand.

In 2003, there were two winners for the sport of tennis at the Hong Kong Sports Star Awards, as HK Davis Cupper and 5th National Intercity Games Men's Singles Gold Medallist, Brian Hung, was one of the six winners of the Hong Kong Junior Sports Stars Awards, while then 16 year-old full-time scholarship athlete, Martin Sayer, was also among one of six recipients of the Hong Kong Potential Sports Stars Awards.

In return for the public's support this year, all vote casters will be automatically entered into a Lucky Draw and the chance to win HK$1,000 worth of cash coupon courtesy of Adidas Hong Kong Limited after submitting all the required information. The lucky winners will be announced on 28 March 2006 on http://sportstar2005.hkolympic.org/staraward/html.

The various recipients of the Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards 2005 will be announced live on stage on 28 February 2006 at the Awards Presentation Ceremony at 5/F, Grand Hall of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Who can vote
All Hong Kong residents

How to vote
Online Public Voting at http://sportstar2005.hkolympic.org/staraward/html

Voting period ends
31 January 2006

So what are you waiting for? Give your support to the rising stars of Hong Kong tennis - Vote Now!

PARTICULARS:

HONG KONG JUNIOR SPORTS STARS AWARDS
All nominees will be voted by the following three parties:
I. 60% from the Judging Panel of the Hong Kong Junior Sports Stars Awards
II. 20% from the local sports editors / reporters
III. 20% from the public

Winners: Six nominees with highest votes will be declared winners.

HONG KONG SPORTS STARS AWARD FOR TEAM EVENT
All nominated teams will be voted by the following four parties:
I. 30% from the Judging Panel of the Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards
II. 30% from the Judging Panel of the Hong Kong Junior Sports Stars Awards
III. 20% from the local sports editors / reporters
IV. 20% from the public

Winner: One team with highest votes will be declared winners.

JUDGING PANEL OF THE HONG KONG SPORTS STARS AWARDS
• Mr. Ronnie M. C. Wong, JP, Hon. Deputy Secretary General, Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
• Prof. Frank H. K. Fu, JP, Vice Chairman, Elite Sports Committee, Sports Commission
• Ms. Olivia Chan, Assistant Director of Leisure Services, Leisure and Cultural Services Department
• Mrs. Jenny Fung, Chairman, Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled
• Mr. Tommy H. L. Tam, JP, Vice Chairman, Hong Kong Sports Institute Limited

JUDGING PANEL OF THE HONG KONG JUNIOR SPORTS STARS AWARDS
• Prof. Leung Mee Lee, Hon. Deputy Secretary General, Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China
• Mr. Kenny K. W. Chow, Council Chairman, Hong Kong Post-Secondary Colleges Athletic Association
• Mr. Yeung Hoi Cheung, Chairman, Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation
• Mr. David S. W. Ip, BBS, Vice President, Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Handicapped
• Ms. Chan Tan Lui, 1995 World Table Tennis Championships Women’s Team Bronze Medallist; 1998 Bangkok Asian Games Table Tennis Women’s Doubles Silver Medallist

Photos courtesy of the ITF and CRC Open 2005