As the first Games event to be staged at Kai Tak Sports Park, all eyes are on the tournament which will begin with preliminary rounds where 10 teams across the nation will be split into two groups.
Each team plays four matches, with the top tour finishers in each group advancing to the knockout round that culminates in the final on November 10.
The 18-strong SAR men’s team is hoping to make an impression, after skipping the previous edition in Shaanxi in 2021 because of the Covid pandemic.
Team member Tse Wing-fai said everyone made sacrifices in the build-up to the Games.
“Besides what the coach says about us potentially being the strongest Hong Kong team in history, I think this team is also the most united,” he said.
Tse said that unity will be vital against the nation’s best. He admitted a podium finish would be a massive challenge as the favourites are in a “completely different world”.
“We ranked sixth in the 13th National Games, and this year, we realised that to reach the top three, the opponents we need to beat are not as simple as we imagined.
“They are not like those who are in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth place…So for us, that’s quite a difficult task. It’s still unknown if we can reach that goal, but we are confident.”
Teammate Lee Siu-chung believes that with fans and family cheering from the stands, the team will get a huge morale boost.
“The people around us would come to support… sometimes when you travel far for matches, while people follow your progress by watching TV, but it’s still missing something. That proximity is uplifting for us,” he explained.
Lee recalls the electric atmosphere from a test event in February.
“When we scored, the fans would cheer our names…We felt like we had such a huge backing supporting us, which helped us focus more on our performance.”
Team Hong Kong are scheduled to play in the last match for three consecutive nights, squaring off against Anhui, Shanghai and Macau at 8pm.
They wrap up the group stage against Beijing on Tuesday afternoon.
A separate tournament for women’s concluded in September. Jiangsu were crowned champions, while Hong Kong did not send a team.
