Henry Hsu

A multi-talented athlete early in life, Henry Hsu had a life out of a Bond novel. At the Far Eastern Games he won gold medals in volleyball (1930) and football (1934). He was also a Hong Kong champion in 50 metre and 100 metre freestyle swimming (1940) and water polo (1948-51). He then became involved in sports administration, serving as President of the Chinese Taipei Swimming Association (1954-65) and the Hong Kong Swimming Association (1960). He served as Vice-President (1965-73) and President (1973-74) of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee. Hsu was elected to the IOC in 1970 and served until 1988, when he became an honorary member. He was a member of the Taiwanese Parliament, serving in the Legislative Yuan from 1972-86, and later served as a National Policy Advisor to the President of Taiwan. As a businessman, he owned a chain of hotels in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States. Hsu had studied at the Whampoa Military Academy and law school in Shanghai.

During World War II, on Christmas Day 1941, Hong Kong surrendered to the Japanese after an 18-day battle. Hsu was serving as aide-de-camp to Admiral Chan Chak, a one-legged ex-warlord and southern President of the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party). As Japanese troops over took Hong Kong, Hsu helped the admiral into a car and, with several British troops aboard, raced to the fishing village of Aberdeen and the harbor. They commandeered a boat, motoring away while it was strafed by Japanese gunfire, with two onboard dead. They sailed to Mirs Bay and the mainland coast, where Hsu contacted local guerrillas to assist them. He then led the survivors on an 80-mile trek into China, arranging food in the villages and sleeping on temple floors. For his efforts, Hsu was awarded an OBE in 1942.