The Special Administrative Region earned a record haul of 42 medals in the South Korean city least month - comprised of six gold, 12 silver and 24 bronze medals -  with track cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze the leading star with two individual titles.

Similar success is now being targeted in Phuket from November 14 to 23, with Hong Kong sending an 82-strong team to participate in 13 of the 26 medal events.

These sports range from muay thai, water skiing and woodball and the beach varieties of handball, water polo and athletics to the more established disciplines of marathon swimming, sailing, windsurfing, squash, triathlon and beach volleyball. 

They will be looking to improve upon the total haul of 12 medals, of which three were gold, won across the three previous Beach Games: in Bali in 2008, Muscat in 2010 and Haiyang in 2012. 

The National "Bauhinia" Flag has been presented to Vivien Lau, Chef de Mission of the Hong Kong delegation to Phuket 2014, at a special Ceremony in Harbour Grand which also acknowledged their Asian Games success. 

Members of the Hong Kong team meeting CY Leung, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, following their success in Incheon
©Olympic Committee of Hong Kong



With Hong Kong Special Administrative Region chief executive, CY Leung, among those in attendance, along with Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong President Timothy Fok, special Certificates of Commendation were presented to all the medallists.

The handover of the Flag, presented to Lau by Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Betty Fung, came at the end of the Ceremony.

Special thanks were also given to all those to have contributed to Hong Kong's recent success, including the Home Affairs Bureau and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, as well as sponsors FILA Marketing Limited and Kee Wah Bakery.

This success wields particular poignancy at a time when pro-democracy protesters are still on the street calling for changes to the administration of the Region, with sport seen as a major way to unite the population.