HPE Students Conference 2026: Final-year projects turn sports science into real-world impact
The HPE Student Conference has become a signature event of the department. Students and teachers pictured at the Central Plaza of the Tai Po campus before the conference begins. This year, a total of eighty final-year students from the department took part in the conference.
Conference presenters pictured with Dr Claudia Wong Ming-yu, who teaches sport psychology and mental preparation for sportspeople at the department.
Sportsmen often seize the spotlight on fields, tracks, and courts, displaying exceptional power and talent. But at the 2026 HPE Students Conference, a different kind of excellence took center stage. Eighty final-year students from the Department of Health and Physical Education (HPE) demonstrated how the knowledge they gained at EdUHK goes beyond performance—helping strengthen sports development, promote healthier lifestyles, and enhance well-being for the wider community.
At the annual student conference held at the Central Plaza of the Tai Po campus on 14 April 2026, 32 final-year students from the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Physical Education) (BEd(PE)) programme and 48 from the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Sports Science and Coaching (BSc(SPSC)) programme shared their experiences and achievements from their Honours or Capstone Projects. Students choosing Honours Projects as their final-year assignment work independently on a research topic, conducting literature reviews and developing a theory component in areas such as kinematics, injury research, performance and recovery assessments, biomechanics, and sports psychology. Those working on Capstone Projects apply sports science and pedagogical theories to produce practical solutions addressing real-world issues.
BSc(SPSC) student Khan Mohammad Sharoz explains to Professor Andrew Edwards, Associate Head of HPE, how his Capstone Project “Walk to Goal” enables people with physical limitations, including the elderly, to enjoy football whilst minimising injury risk.
Professor Daniel Chow Hung-kay, Chair Professor of Health and Sports Science, listens to a student’s presentation of his research findings.
Born into a Pakistan-Indonesian family, BSc(SPSC) student Khan Mohammad Sharoz moved to Hong Kong at the age of four and has played football since childhood. His Capstone Project, titled “Walk to Goal”, aims to let more people enjoy football while minimising injury risk. In the modified game, risky actions such as heading, physical 50/50 duels, running, jogging, tackling, and slide tackling are not permitted. “The game also removes the goalkeeper role and adds a prohibited semi-circle zone in front of the goal to reduce crowding and collisions. Because of these modifications, I changed football into a low-impact, walking-only format so that the elderly and people with injuries can join,” Khan said.
In her Capstone Project, Michelle Cheung Hiu-nok documents the stories of seven Hong Kong volleyball players who have realised their dream of playing in professional leagues overseas. Dr Gary Chow Chi-ching hopes that her book,《打破障礙：實現職業排球夢想》, which features interviews about the struggles, adventures, and joy these players experienced in pursuit of their dream, will stimulate discussions about how the sport should be developed in Hong Kong.
I hope my project will stimulate discussions about developing viable professional pathways for volleyball players in the city.
Whilst some projects like Khan’s aiming to promote community participation in sport, others are linked to sports development in Hong Kong. BEd(PE) student Michelle Cheung Hiu-nok’s Capstone Project focuses on the professional development of Hong Kong volleyball players. “Hong Kong lacks a local professional league for volleyball players, restricting athletes’ opportunities for growth and exposure. To advance their careers, some Hong Kong volleyball players choose to join professional volleyball leagues elsewhere. I have interviewed seven of them who play in high-level competitions in Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Portugal, Hungary, Croatia, and Iceland, and documented their stories in a book,” said Michelle, who herself plays in the A-league in Hong Kong. She hopes her project will stimulate discussions about developing viable professional pathways for volleyball players in the city.
Leung Tung-ni tells Mr Kong Yu-hin, a PhD candidate in the department, about her findings that smoking significantly reduces a person’s motivation for cardiovascular exercise as smokers experience fatigue and shortness of breath more readily during physical activity.
HPE teachers vote for the best projects based on originality, methodological rigour, and significance, alongside presentation skills. Pictured, Mr Kenneth Ho Yik-kiu assesses the Honour Project by Chu Hor-ting.
Besides sports-oriented projects, some students investigated health-related issues connected to sport. Leung Tung-ni’s Honours Project examined the relationship between smoking and motivation for cardiovascular exercise. She found that smokers are less motivated to participate in sport because they are more likely to experience fatigue and shortness of breath. “These results align with self-determination theory, which showed that both physical and psychological deficiencies reduce people’s motivation to participate in sports,” the BSc(SPSC) student said. “I needed to design a bilingual questionnaire to collect data from 300 smokers aged 20 to 60. Through this process, I learnt how to think from the perspective of ordinary people, so I could choose terms they would understand,” said Tung-ni, who works in a sports retail company.
HPE teachers and instructors voted for their favourite projects based on originality, methodological rigour, and significance, alongside presentation skills. In each of the Honours Project and Capstone Project categories, six students, three from the BSc(SPSC) and three from the BEd(PE) programme, who received the most votes were awarded the Best Poster Presentation title. A debriefing and award presentation ceremony was held after the conference.
In the Honours Project category, award recipients included Fung Choi-lam, Chu Yiu-hei and Ng Pak-hei from the BSc(SPSC) programme, and Luk Chui-pik, Chiu Wai-yan and Ng Young-jun from the BEd(PE) programme. In the Capstone Project category, awards were presented to Kwok Yung-yee, Chu Wun-hin and Cheng Lik-ho from the BSc(SPSC) programme, and Jason Li Cheuk-hin, Kathlynn Tam Sin-yu and Li Wing-yau from the BEd(PE) programme. Professor Amy Ha Sau-ching, Head of HPE, presented the awards to the recipients.
At the debriefing and award presentation ceremony, Dr Gary Chow acknowledges the efforts of all students in completing and presenting their projects at the conference, noting that students have significantly improved both their research and presentation skills through the experience.
BEd(PE) student Wong Yuen-mei’s Capstone Project finds that social media, when used appropriately, can be an effective tool to promote parent-child exercise and develop healthy lifestyles in Hong Kong families. An increasing number of sports studies are now exploring the role of social media, as the platform has become almost omnipresent in daily life.
“This year, students presented 45 Capstone Projects and 35 Honours Projects in total at this signature departmental event. Some projects explored ways to improve athletic performance, others examined different approaches to physical education and sports coaching, and some investigated the relationship between social media, physical and mental health, and sports participation,” said Dr Gary Chow Chi-ching, Associate Professor of HPE and one of the Honours and Capstone Projects conveners.
Dr Chow described the HPE Student Conference as a valuable learning opportunity for students. “It is encouraging to see you work so hard in carrying out your projects and preparing your presentations. Your efforts have been immensely rewarded. Your research skills and knowledge were strengthened through project design and execution, and your presentation skills were sharpened as you explained your work to visitors at the conference,” he told students at the debriefing, alongside fellow conveners Dr Shawn Liang Xiao, Dr Zheng Chen and Dr Carman Leung Ka-man.
Best Poster Presenter award recipients of the Capstone Project category, from left: Li Wing-yau, Kathlynn Tam Sin-yu, Jason Li Cheuk-hin, Head of HPE Professor Amy Ha Sau-ching, Cheng Lik-ho, Chu Wun-hin and Kwok Yung-yee.
Best Poster Presenter award recipients of the Honours Project category, from left: Ng Young-jun, Chiu Wai-yan, Luk Chui-pik, Head of HPE Professor Amy Ha Sau-ching, Ng Pak-hei, Fung Choi-lam and Chu Yiu-hei.
Visit the conference website to understand more details.
