Name Arnaldo Oliveira | ||
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Profile of A. de O. Sales
Arnaldo de Oliveira Sales, GBM, CBE, JP, GCIH, (Chinese: 沙利士, born c. 1920) often shortened to A. de O. Sales, is chairman of the Hong Kong Olympic Academy and former president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong. He was many years the unofficial member of the Urban Council and became its first unofficial chairman from 1973 to 1981. He was also a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee.
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Biography
He was born in Shameen, Canton in the French concession in about 1920, where his great great grandfather settled in. He came to Hong Kong at the age of 8 and attended several Catholic schools, including La Salle College and St. Joseph's Seminary in Macau. After he returned to Hong Kong, he attended a business school to prepare for joining the family business. He evacuated to Macau with other third nationals during the Second World War.
After he returned to Hong Kong, Sales married his childhood friend, Edith. He helped the Rehabilitating the Portuguese Club, the Club Lusitano de Hong Kong, and participated in the administration of the club and sports. He also helped found the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee with other sports-conscious people in 1950, and became the Committee's president. He also joined the Junior Chamber of Commerce and was elected its world president in 1955; he traveled to more than 80 countries in that capacity.
He was appointed a member of the Urban Council from 1 April 1957, and its first unofficial chairman elected by the members of the council from 1 April 1973 until 1981. He continues to be an important member of the Portuguese-descent community of Hong Kong. He has always retained Portuguese nationality.
Honours
Sales received numerous honours for his public service including being made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), a Grand Cross of the Portuguese Order of Prince Henry (GCIH, in 1999) and being awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM) in 1998.