Hong Kong began competing in the Summer Olympic Games in 1952, and have participated in every Summer Olympics since, excluding the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games.[1][2] Hong Kong was a British colony until the 1997 transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China.[3] The SAR retained the right to send separate teams to the Olympics and other international sporting events that it had enjoyed under British rule.[4] Hong Kong made its Winter Olympic Games debut in 2002 at Salt Lake City.[2] Hong Kong has never won a Winter Olympics medal.[2] The Hong Kong delegation to Turin consisted of a single athlete, short track speed skater Han Yueshuang.[5] She was the flag bearer for both the opening ceremony[6] and the closing ceremony.[7]
Han Yueshuang was 23 years old at the time of the Turin Olympics.[8] On 12 February, the heats of the women's 500 metres race were held, Han was assigned to heat six. She finished her heat in fourth place with a time of 47.087 seconds, and was eliminated as only the top two in each heat were allowed to proceed to the quarterfinals.[9] She was ranked 24th for this event.[10] On 18 February, she was placed into the fourth heat of the women's 1500 metres, where she finished with a time of 2 minutes and 36.233
seconds, fifth in her heat.[11] Only the top three from each heat proceeded to the quarterfinals,[11] and Han was eliminated in 24th place.[12] In the heats for the women's 1000 metres held on 22 February, she finished third in the fourth heat with a time of 1 minute and 37.883 seconds, but again, only the top two in each heat could proceed to the quarterfinals.[13] Han was officially classified in 18th place.[14] She would later represent Hong Kong again at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[8]
