‘Cool sweepings’: Hong Kong curling team making their presence felt at Asian Winter Games
Winning a medal is the target for the team, who are making their debuts at this level – and would be a real coup for the ‘snowless city’
It would not be unfair to suggest that the fact Hong Kong has a curling team is news to a few people, or at least it was before the past several days at the Asian Winter Games.
Much like other sports needing ice and snow, curling is not something you would immediately think of in connection with a city where cold is a relative term.
These Games, though, are somewhat different. Hong Kong has sent its largest delegation ever, with 74 athletes competing in ice hockey, speed skating, figure skating, alpine skiing and, of course, curling.
The latter group are making their debuts at this level of international competition, and in teenager Judy Chan-ka, and the more experienced Hung Ling-yue, have one of the youngest and oldest members of the team.
Hung, 61, and mixed-doubles partner Martin Yan Ho-tin, 30, also span the generations, and yet the unlikely pairing have been making their presence felt at the Harbin Pingfang Curling Arena.
A single loss in the group stage to Japan was the only blip in a run that included convincing wins over Thailand and Mongolia on Thursday. And while an 11-4 loss to South Korea in the classification stage on Friday ended hopes of a medal, the sport has gained an exposure it might otherwise not have had.