Hong Kong netball chiefs say Kai Tak Sports Park could aid World Cup bid
Hong Kong's top netball officials said securing the Asian Championships next summer could prove a springboard to qualifying for the next World Cup.
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The regional championships, expected to be held in August next year, double as the qualifying event for the 2027 World Cup, with the top two teams reaching the finals, held in Sydney.
Hong Kong's netball chief said the organisation had long wanted to host the next Asian Championships and it was only following the opening of Kai Tak Sports Park that the opportunity presented itself.
'Our goal has always been to host a World Cup qualifying event but suitable facilities have posed a significant challenge,' Connie Wong Ar-yan, president of Netball Hong Kong, China, said. 'KTSP provides the necessary space and infrastructure for an international event.
'Qualifying for the World Cup has been a long-held dream of ours, especially with netball's potential inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. This proximity to the Olympics makes our World Cup qualification even more crucial.'
Hong Kong will host the netball Asian Championships at Kai Tak Sports Park next year. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
Hong Kong have competed in five World Cups with their last appearance coming 2003 in Kingston, Jamaica. They have failed to surpass their 13th-place finish achieved in their debut campaign in Singapore in 1983.
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