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Ada Li

Hong Kong’s lacrosse teams face a crucial year on their path to Olympic qualification, starting with the Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Sixes Championships in October on Australia’s Sunshine Coast.
Both the city’s men’s and women’s squads will take part in the tournament, to be held from October 5 to 10, which will serve as a key qualifier, with five men’s and five women’s teams going on to the 2027 World Lacrosse Sixes Championships.
That competition, a global event bringing together 16 teams across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas, will act as the final stage of qualification for the 2028 Olympics, with six men’s and six women’s teams earning the right to compete on sport’s biggest stage in Los Angeles.
“This year will be a crucial one for Hong Kong lacrosse as we aim for qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” said Raymond Fong Kong, CEO of the Hong Kong, China Lacrosse Association.
The Hong Kong women’s team, captained by Steffi Sze, began their preparation for the qualification campaign strongly earlier this year, finishing third at the EuroLax Sixes Cup in Portugal in February.

They defeated France and Switzerland in the group stage, lost only to the Netherlands and beat Poland in the bronze-medal match.
“The results really boosted our confidence,” Sze said. “To finish third against strong European teams gave us a huge morale lift. We also learned a lot that will help us prepare for the competitions ahead.”
Although Hong Kong currently sit outside the world’s top eight, based on World Lacrosse rankings determined by past championship results, Fong said both city teams were focused on gaining quality match experience to close the performance gap.
“To prepare for October, we plan to train through competition,” Fong said, noting that the city’s players balanced their sporting commitments with full-time jobs. “We do not have full-time athletes, so playing in Japan, where the competition level is very high, allows our players to gain experience through short weekend trips.”
The teams will also travel to Chengdu in April for the 2026 Asian Lacrosse Games before heading to the United States for the Heritage Cup in May.
At home, the association is turning its focus towards nurturing younger talent.
The annual Hong Kong Lacrosse Open has been restructured as the Hong Kong Junior Lacrosse Open, marking a step towards professionalising the city’s youth competitions and aligning with the global shift towards the six-a-side format.
The tournament will take place on April 4 and 5 at Aberdeen Sports Ground and Wong Chuk Hang Recreation Ground, and will feature 58 youth teams from six countries and regions including Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, South Korea and Japan.

The event will include under-8 and under-10 mixed divisions, as well as U12 and U16 boys’ and girls’ categories, providing a competitive platform for players across different age groups.
“In the past, the Open featured a senior 10-a-side division,” Fong explained. “But with the global and Olympic focus now shifting to the Sixes format, and given our venue limitations, we decided to align with that trend.
“For senior players, we now have a separate high-level competition – the Hong Kong International Lacrosse Sixes – which completed its latest edition last December,” Fong added.


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Hong Kong

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With a key qualifying tournament in October, city teams will go to Chengdu in April for Asian Lacrosse Games and May’s Heritage Cup in US


With a key qualifying tournament in October, city teams will go to Chengdu in April for Asian Lacrosse Games and May’s Heritage Cup in US.


Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games

Crucial year ahead for Hong Kong’s lacrosse sides as they target 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}With a key qualifying tournament in October, city teams will go to Chengdu in April for Asian Lacrosse Games and May’s Heritage Cup in US

With a key qualifying tournament in October, city teams will go to Chengdu in April for Asian Lacrosse Games and May’s Heritage Cup in US