When the world's best swimmers and divers come to China to compete in the Olympic Games in less than two years, they and thousands of spectators will enjoy the charm of the "Water Cube," the nickname for the National Aquatics Centre.

The person most responsible for the Cube, however, won't.

Holding a picture of his grandfather, Kenneth Fok stands among other relatives seeing off Henry Fok's coffin yesterday morning at Beijing Capital International Airport. [China Daily]

"It's a pity my father won't watch the 2008 Olympic Games," said Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, the eldest son of Henry Fok Ying-tung, the Hong Kong business tycoon who died on Saturday in Beijing after a bout with cancer.

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Fok, 83, devoted much of his time, knowledge and resources to the country's sports programme. The "Water Cube," to which he donated one-fifth of the 1 billion yuan (US$125 million) needed to build it, is only one example.

In all, Fok, a vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, gave more than 800 million yuan (US$100 million) to help the nation's athletic endeavours.

To support the Asian Games held in Beijing in 1990, Fok donated 100 million yuan (US$12.5 million) for the Ying Tung Natatorium, which was the largest swimming pool in Asia at the time. It is being renovated and will be used during the 2008 Olympics for water polo and the swimming portion of the modern pentathlon.

"The contribution of the Fok Ying-tung Sports and Physical Education Foundation is not only on the commercial level but also spiritually encourages athletes to achieve great performance," said Liu Peng, director of the State General Administration of Sports. "It is not only for the medal winners, but also for the entire sports society in China."

He Zhenliang, chairman of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Commission for Culture and Olympic Education, remembered Fok as a man of passion for sports and great patriotism.

When He visited London after he had been elected as an IOC member in 1981, he remembered his limited funds didn't allow him to wear the clothes he would have liked. Fok sent Timothy Fok Tsun-ting to accompany He to buy a brand-new suit, he recalled during a recent interview with China Central Television.

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