Presenters display the 2009 East Asian Games silver, gold and bronze medals at a 30-day countdown ceremony yesterday. Edmond Tang

HONG KONG: Diving queen Guo Jingjing, "triple crown" hurdler Liu Xiang, "Super Dan" badminton player Lin Dan, women's 200m butterfly world record holder Liu Zige and the world's top ranking table tennis player Wang Hao will be among elite athletes coming from Beijing to compete in the Hong Kong 2009 East Asia Games next month.

The lists of participating athletes from eight countries and regions were released by the 5th East Asian Games Planning Committee in an event to mark the countdown to 30 days before the sports extravaganza December 5 to 13.

Hong Kong, which will deploy its biggest-ever team for the Games, released its list of some 380 athletes October 12. They include Wong Kam-po in cycling; Wang Chen, Zhou Mi and Yip Pui-yin in badminton; Marco Fu in cue sports; Li Ching and Ko Lai-chak in table tennis; Au Wing-chi and Chiu Wing-yin in squash as well as Hannah Wilson and Tsai Hiu-wai in swimming.

Other Olympic gold medalists making up the mainland delegation include Guo's partner in the 3m synchronized springboard, Wu Minxia; badminton women' doubles players Du Jing and Yu Yang; and weight-lifter Long Qingquan.

Wang Yimei and Wei Qiuyue will lead the national women's volleyball team.

Timothy Fok, chairman of the planning committee, described the participating athletes as a stellar cast.

South Korean swimmer Park Tae Hwan, who won the men's 400m freestyle at the Beijing Olympic Games last year, is one of the world-class athletes from outside China.

Also revealed yesterday were the game medals, designed on an environmental theme.

Resembling a wreath assembled with leaves, the design "has absorbed elements from EAG's nine participatory countries and regions and their friendship," said the designer Freeman Lau from Hong Kong.

The nine leaves are of Hong Kong's Bauhinia Blakeana, North Korea's Mangolia, South Korea's Hibiscus, Chinese mainland's peony, Macao's lotus, Taiwan's plum blossom, Japan's cherry blossom, Mongolia's pygmy waterlily, and Guam's Bougainvilla.

Hong Kong won the right to host the 5th East Asian Games in November 2003. Around 2,300 elite athletes will compete for gold medals in 262 competition events in 22 sports, making it the largest international multi-sport event ever held in Hong Kong.

China Daily

(HK Edition 11/06/2009 page1)