Known as a leader of Hong Kong’s (HK) Macanese community and perhaps the father of Hong Kong sports, Arnaldo de Oliveira Sales died on Friday, just a few months after turning 100 years old.
Sales, affectionately known as “Sonny” amongst his friends, died on Friday at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital. He had stepped away from public life in the 2000s due to illness, and spent his last decade in the institution.
Sales, who is of Portuguese descent, was born on January 13, 1920, in Guangzhou and moved to Hong Kong when he was 8.
He is an alumnus of La Salle College in Hong Kong and Saint Joseph Diocesan College in Macau, where he lived during World War II. In his college years, he excelled at hockey.
He continued to pursue sports development in the following years, playing a major role in the founding of the Amateur Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong in 1950 and becoming its president.
Sales made a significant impact in this role by providing Hong Kong athletes the opportunity to represent the then-British colony in international sporting competitions, including the Olympics, as a separate entity. This allowed the region to be recognized as a separate entity by the International Olympic Committee, something that has remained unchanged even after the handover.
Known for being a strict person who followed the rules and made no exemptions for anyone, Sales was somewhat unpopular with several sports associations in his early days.
In addition to his numerous sports diplomacy roles, he is also famously known for confronting and negotiating with Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Sales risked his life by confronting the armed Palestinians holding the Hong Kong, Israeli, and Uruguayan teams hostage, and successfully secured the release of his team.
Sales was also a member of Hong Kong’s Urban Council for many years, chairing the council between 1973 and 1981. He was also a former president of Hong Kong’s Sports Federation and Olympic Committee, as well as a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee.
Upon hearing the news of his death, many people expressed their condolences and recalled his enormous contributions.
Timothy Fok, the current president of the Hong Kong Football Association and the eldest son of Hong Kong tycoon Henry Fok, recalled some of Sales’ contributions and told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) that, “As the chairman of the Urban Council, he [Sales] fostered the construction of many swimming pools in various districts which were envied by many developed countries.”
“Other major sports facilities, such as Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Coliseum, [and] Wan Chai Sports Ground were also [connected] to him,” added Fok.
The vice-president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, Vivian Lau, added, “It is a great loss and we will always remember him. He was a figure who was very important in the history of Hong Kong sports. He did so much for Hong Kong sports and international sports.”
Hong Kong Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, was also among those who paid tribute to Sales, recalling his numerous roles over the years and highlighting his contributions which gave local athletes an opportunity to compete at the international level under the Hong Kong flag.
“He helped to promote overseas competition opportunities for Hong Kong athletes, and helped Hong Kong athletes compete on the international stage under the name of Hong Kong, China after 1997,” Lam said.
For over 30 years, Sales was also head of one of the most important associations in Hong Kong, and perhaps the most prominent Portuguese-roots association in the world, Club Lusitano.
Sales has received numerous honors for his service to the community, including Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Grand Cross of the Portuguese Order of Prince Henry, and the Grand Bauhinia Medal.
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