I am Daniel Chan, a sports commentator. However, being a sports commentator is actually not my first job. Since I was a kid, I've always longed to join the media industry, yet somehow I ended up studying geography in university. However, my dream for the media industry did not fade, which is why I became a program assistant in Commercial Radio Hong Kong (CRHK) through the Joint Institutions Job Information System (JIJIS). I helped with Mr Albert Cheng and Mr Chan Wing Luk's politics and financial programs. Eventually, I had the chance to host a sports program on CRHK, which marked the beginning of my career as a sports presenter and commentator.

Job as a sports commentator

Some of my friends would still joke about not knowing what I actually do, as they usually only see or hear me through different channels. Possibly driven by my personality, I really enjoy taking part in different things, and I don't really need to settle down in one particular place. I've worked in media outlets such as Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), ESPN Star Sports, Eurosport, TVB and ViuTV as well as working as a freelancer after I left CRHK three years since I started working there. Now I mainly work for FOX Sports and Now TV. Meanwhile, I have always had two sort-of careers in parallel. I joined an international sports PR company in 2003. Then in 2005, I went to a company under Li Ning the man himself to work in Shanghai as an athlete manager. Over the years, between 2006 and 2010, I came back to Hong Kong and made some investments in another local sports PR company. I've established my own marketing and creative companies lately, mainly focusing on planning strategies on digital media and content production for various brands.

Some might be curious about what sports commentators do. My day basically starts when you go to sleep. That's because Hong Kong's time zone is GMT+8, and most overseas sports matches happen at night after midnight HKT. Lately, I've covered events from all over the globe. Some people are curious about how I got into the business. See—we do it somewhat differently here in Hong Kong. Here, there isn't any set way for one to get into this business, nor are there any specified courses or qualifications required, unlike how 'Sports Broadcasting' is its own academic subject in other places. Neither can we start our career by commentating inter-school competitions, as such, social relationships are often required for one to stand a chance. Of course, you can always try your luck with some self-made commentating videos; like how a YouTuber does it. I had the opportunity to host sports programs in CRHK, and it was not long after I left CRHK did I receive RTHK's invitation to work as a football commentator there. After that, I joined ESPN Stars Sports under others' introduction and recommendation.

Nonetheless, sports commentating still remains an uncommon career in Hong Kong. Professional commentators only spend a small portion of their working hours commentating, where they spend most of the time on preparatory work behind the scenes. In football commentary, such preparations would include familiarising ourselves with the two teams' play style in the recent seasons, line-ups in the past games, news with the teams, and star players gossips etc. When these 'great battles' come up, professional commentators would turn towards tactic analysis, and for less-heated matches, we would probably focus more upon the stories behind the team and player.

My commentating work is not only limited to football and motorsport. I've also commentated on the NBA, NHL as well as commentating on the Olympic and Winter Olympic games. When dealing with an unfamiliar sport, I'd always take my time to learn the ruleset, tactics and details so that I can actually focus on commentating when I get to it. It's just as what the Rally racer Colin McRae said: "When in doubt, flat out." This is the faith I keep to face my life.