The SAR delegation will feature 24 athletes competing across individual and team events in all three disciplines — foil, épée, and sabre.
Head coach Zheng Kangzhao noted that this year’s roster showcases a “veterans-leading-newcomers” strategy, with several debutants earning their place on the continental stage.
Zheng explained that many of the new faces have quickly risen to a level where they can compete on equal footing with — or even outperform — their senior teammates, which accounts for their strong representation in the squad.
“I think our team now, across all six team events, is more evenly matched in terms of strength. They are more balanced — there’s no situation where one stands out while the rest lag far behind,” he said.
“Also, when it comes to the four-member lineups, each of them possesses a certain level of skill and a very strong competitive edge. I feel their standard is no lower than the last edition’s, and I think they are even more balanced overall.”
At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, the fencing team delivered a commendable performance, securing one gold, one silver, and seven bronze medals.
Zheng expressed hope that the squad would at least match that tally while performing to their full potential and achieving a breakthrough.
Among the key contenders is the foil team of Edgar Cheung, Ryan Choi, Harris Ho, and Leung Chin-yu, who are coming off a silver medal finish at the World Championships held on home soil.
Star fencer Cheung, the reigning Asian Games individual foil champion, will be making his fourth appearance for the SAR.
Cheung said he intends to approach the competition with a calm mindset, focusing on his own performance rather than fixating on title defence.
“I don’t really recall what my mindset was like last time around, but I am older and perhaps more mature. I might have a more mature way of handling situations and thinking compared to last time,” he said.
When asked about his main rivals in the individual event, Cheung pointed to a deep field of contenders, including his teammate Choi — currently ranked World No. 7 — and members of the Japanese team, who claimed team gold at the Paris Olympics.
Seventeen-year-old Ho, who is making his Asian Games debut, said he hopes to replicate the form he showed at the World Championships and is targeting a team gold medal in Japan.
Meanwhile, Leung expressed excitement over sharing his debut Games experience with his older brother, Leung Tin-ching, who competes in the sabre event.
He said simply competing together in a major multi-sport event already feels like an achievement in itself.