Hong Kong Status Finalized
Lausanne, Switzerland- IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, who attended the ceremonies celebrating Great Britain’s handover of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China, finalized the necessary changes concerning the National Olympic Committee of Hong Kong. Samaranch met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng, Minister of Sport and NOC President Shaozu Wu, IOC member Zhenliang He, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and NOC President Arnaldo de O. Sales. It was agreed that the NOC’s official name will be the Amateur Sport Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China. The NOC will fly the new flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with a bauhinia flower, and use the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China. The new emblem of the NOC will feature the bauhinia flower, the five Olympic rings, and Chinese characters, all enclosed in a circle followed by “Hong Kong”, with “China” below.