A Mixed Start for Hong Kong Beach Volleyball Teams at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games

A Mixed Start for Hong Kong Beach Volleyball Teams at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games

Ahead of the Curve: Games Begin Before Official Opening

The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games saw the commencement of the beach volleyball tournaments before the official opening of the games scheduled for January 23rd. The Hong Kong teams were among the first to start their competitions, with the women’s team experiencing a surprising loss in their first match despite initial success.

The Road to Victory at Ningbo Banbian Mountain Beach Volleyball Center

The beach volleyball matches were held at the Ningbo Banbian Mountain Beach Volleyball Center. The women’s team from Hong Kong, comprising To Wing Tung and Wong Man Ching, were placed in Group B. This team, participating in the Asian Games for the first time and working together for only a year and a half, faced challenging opponents from Indonesia, Thailand, Macau, and the Philippines.

Despite a promising start with a win in the first round against the Philippines team of Progella Khylem Harl and Matibag Grydelle Joanice with a score of 21:17, they unfortunately lost the following rounds with scores of 21:23 and 13:15 respectively. Their next challenge is the Thai pair of Naraphornrapat and Kongphopsarutawadee, scheduled for January 20th.

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The Men’s Team: A Tribute to a Fallen Teammate

The lone men’s team from Hong Kong, consisting of Wong Pui Lam and Lam Kei Fung, also started their competition. Wong Pui Lam had previously partnered with Lau Tsz Ho in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. However, a tragic turn of events saw Lau retiring due to illness during their first match, later confirmed to be leukemia. Lau unfortunately passed away last year, aged 27, leaving Wong Pui Lam to change partners several times before qualifying for the Hangzhou Asian Games with Lam Kei Fung at the end of last year.

The men’s beach volleyball competition contains 8 groups, with the top two teams from each group moving forward to the top 16. Wong Pui Lam and Lam Kei Fung, determined to compete in honor of Lau Tsz Ho, were placed in Group C alongside teams from Japan and Thailand. Their first match was against Japan’s Takahashi Takumi and Ageba Yuya, which they lost with scores of 9:21 and 14:21. Their next match will be against Thailand on January 22nd.

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Victory for Hong Kong’s Second Women’s Team

In a more encouraging result, the second women’s team from Hong Kong, comprising Lo Wai Yan and Yuen Ting Chi, emerged victorious in their match in the women’s Group C. They faced Macau’s Leong On Ying and Lo Wing Sam and won with a score of 21:16 and 21:15. They will next face South Korea on January 20th and Japan and Thailand on the 21st and 22nd of January respectively.

The journey of the Hong Kong beach volleyball teams at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games has just started, with some initial setbacks and victories. The teams will continue to battle it out in the coming days, carrying the hopes and aspirations of their nation.

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