By Jay Scott Kanes

LAMMA ISLAND, Hong Kong -- Residents here, like everywhere, spent much of August watching the Beijing Olympic Games. No wonder the TV ratings soared. Even many of the pets became sports fans.

When human athletes play with ribbons, rings and other favorite feline toys, as in rhythmic gymnastics, fun-loving cats sit up and take notice. Two-year-old Coy, a cat living in Yung Shue Wan, Lamma’s largest village, became enthralled, watching long and hard, frequently reaching to the TV screen in fascination. Sometimes her brother Batman joined in, presumably to assess the sporting techniques. There’s no doubt which Olympic event they liked best.

The dogs prefer beach volleyball, having witnessed hundreds of games on the local sand. Probably they wonder why Hong Kong neglected to recruit local players for the Games.

When watching on TV, the pets may have thought that animals other than horses should compete too. A few Lamma critters qualify as leading athletes. Some dogs leap high to catch Frisbees. Isn’t that ideal for track and field? Fleet-footed canines reckon they’d outrun Usain Bolt, the “world’s fastest human”. The cats might work wonders on the parallel bars.

With the Games finished, one problem lingers. As a housemate to Coy, how can I explain to her that the next Olympics event in rhythmic gymnastics isn’t until 2012?

Intensely, Batman (right) and Coy
follow the rhythmic gymnastics.


Well done! High five, tiny TV-lady.

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