Latest news with #HongKongLacrosseOpen
South China Morning Post
20-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong teams beaten at Lacrosse Open but Olympics gives youngsters a pathway
The hosts suffered double final defeat at the Hong Kong Lacrosse Open on Sunday, with both the men's and women's sides beaten in their showpiece events. Advertisement First, the women faced a repeat of last year's final against Second Era Leaders of Lacrosse (SELL), but could not reverse their defeat of 12 months ago as they went down 16-5. Then the men were unable to retain their title as they lost 10-7 to Shenzhen Lacrosse Development Ltd (SLDL). Hong Kong players and coaches were able to find positives, however, with women's forward Lam Wing-yi saying her side 'executed our plans well' before their youth was trumped by SELL's experience. 'I can't say I'm really disappointed,' said Lam, who scored three times in the defeat. 'We came into this game with personal goals we had set ourselves regarding offensive plays – and the goals all came from good teamwork.' SELL's Chisa Kobayashi (white) was a menace with five goals in the final. Photo: Hong Kong Lacrosse Open For the men, it was a disappointing end to an otherwise impressive tournament after they beat favourites Fogo 10-5 in the semi-finals. In a topsy-turvy final, played in front of a fervent crowd with both sides receiving raucous support, they were 3-1 ahead at the end of the first quarter and 4-3 behind following the second. Advertisement The home side levelled at 7-7 early in the fourth before a collapse saw SLDL score three more.
South China Morning Post
18-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Lacrosse Open: Hong Kong men's coach hails rivals Fogo as ‘best team in the tournament'
Hong Kong men's boss Chan Hon-kei said rivals Fogo were 'pretty much the best team in the tournament' after an opening day at the Lacrosse Open on Friday that saw both of the city's sides earn maximum points. Advertisement The hosts opened with a 23-2 victory over Chengdu University before overcoming Singapore 9-5 in a thrilling match, which they threatened to lose with the two sides level at 5-5 at point. Chan said he hoped the show of character to get the eventual win would help the team improve as the tournament progressed. 'The second match was a good learning curve for us,' he said. '[The Hong Kong players] lost their pace in the middle. We are adjusting to the contest and got caught out a lot.' Chan also coaches the Under-20s side and said he saw their match with Fogo as a chance to gain valuable experience. Hong Kong's women opened with a 14-9 victory over Chengdu University. Photo: Hong Kong Lacrosse Open Despite Fogo opening with a surprise 10-9 defeat to SLDL, Chan still regarded the Japanese side as the benchmark side.
South China Morning Post
16-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Lacrosse Open: city's women optimistic of making final despite youthful squad
The head coach of the city's women's team was confident her squad would reach at least the final of this week's Hong Kong Lacrosse Open despite fielding a younger group of players this year. Advertisement Gemini Fan Tak-kwan said 'the mix of some veteran and younger players' should do the job, even though the hosts – who were runners-up last year – will also be without prolific scorer Sally Tang Yi-ting, who is out injured. 'We have a younger team this year, with some players coming up through the ranks,' Fan said. 'We have three players from last year's Under-20 World Championships making the senior team. 'Eleven of our 25 players played in the regional qualifiers [for next year's World Championships] at the start of this year.' With Tang out of the equation, Woo Ka-yu will be sharing the leadership role with co-captain Steffi Sze. Woo Ka-yu (in white) will be Hong Kong co-captain with Steffi Sze. Photo: Xiaomei Chen 'Woo and Lam Wing-yi have been to two World Championships with the team,' Fan said. 'We restarted only in March after the qualifiers [in January]; we haven't been training together for a long time.
South China Morning Post
28-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Lacrosse bosses eye place among Hong Kong elite, as 2028 LA Olympics loom
Lacrosse bosses have their sights set on earning a place at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, but said they were still some way from reaching the level needed to take their place alongside the city's elite. Advertisement Expected to make its debut as an Olympic event at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, lacrosse is not yet a top sport locally, although it could earn Tier B status in about a year if the city's teams are successful on the field. Raymond Fong Kong, the head of the sport's governing body in the city, said he was optimistic that lacrosse could make the cut next year. 'We do not have enough points for now, but are confident we can achieve the target this summer,' the chairman of the Hong Kong, China Lacrosse Association said. 'There will be a national championship later this year in Chengdu … we are targeting at least a podium finish and that should give us enough points, so, the earliest for us to make it would be April 2026.' According to the government's Elite Vote Support Scheme, sports with a score between 7.5 and 10 – whether Olympic or Asian Games sports or not – are eligible for Tier B status at HKSI. Members of the men's and women's Hong Kong lacrosse teams take part in a press event to announce the return of the city's Hong Kong Lacrosse Open in April. Photo: Handout Funding and supported depends on the sport, and athletes receive an elite training grant if their discipline features in the Olympics or Asian Games, or a sports aid grant if it does not.
