Ng Fong-wing, the legendary sports anchor in Hong Kong, passed away after a sudden and short illness yesterday.
He was the Chris Berman of Hong Kong. His humourous and laid-back style had made the three-minute sports news session his personal playground and, more importantly, the most highly anticipated segment of the 30-minute daily TV news broadcast.
He was a unique sports anchor way ahead of his time. While we idolize the Dan Patricks, Keith Olbermanns and Kenny Maynes of ESPN's SportsCenter for their humourous and sometimes hysterical style, he had been having fun on his daily sports news show since 1982.
At a time when no one thought that sports news could or should be presented this way, he was determined to become the pioneer. It didn't take long for his witty and sometimes sarcastic style to become a massive hit, and his catchphrases like "The frame of the goal is the best buddy of goalkeepers" and "Ball is round" have achieved legendary status.
He continued working for the TV station after his retirement in 2005, including doing the commentary work for the World Cup in 2006. He also said that he would love to be one of the hosts for the Olympics Games in Beijing for the TV station later this year, if his health conditions permit.
But with the opening ceremony just 112 days to go, and only 15 days before the Olympic torch visits Hong Kong for the first time since 1964, a major organ failure resulting from leukemia cruelly took his life, at the age of 67.
He will be sorely missed, as no one will ever come close to imitating his unique style.
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