Hong Kong Team Leaves Home for 4 Months Training to Prepare for Men's & Women's Lacrosse World Championship
17 Apr 2022
Press Release
17th April, 2022
Hong Kong Team Leaves Home for 4 Months Training to Prepare for U21 Men's Lacrosse World Championship
The U21 Hong Kong men's lacrosse team set off today (April 17, 2022) for a four-month overseas training camp to prepare for the U21 World Men's Lacrosse Championship in Limerick, Ireland from August 10 to 20.
Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Championship originally scheduled in 2020 was postponed to this summer. The age limit of this championship has also been raised from under 20 to under 21 so that overage players will not miss the opportunity to play. The Hong Kong team will start their training camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand and then move to Berlin, Germany, Manchester, England, and Dublin, Ireland. During this period, they will play friendly matches with teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, and China. They will also participate in the Berlin Open from June 20 to 26.
Mr. Chadwick David Fairfoull, Hong Kong Team head coach said, ‘With the latest wave causing a lockdown on training, we are missing key training moments to prepare for the World Championship. Coming out of this latest wave, the fields will open up soon but, to what extent we do not know. So it makes more sense that we go train in Thailand where we can train freely every day and fully prepare for competition. Obviously, more concentrated training will help the players get to know each other better and perform better as a team. Our goal is to make Hong Kong proud with better achievements and accomplishments.
Lo Tin Chiu, captain of the Men's U21 team said: "There have been no games in the past few months and I rarely get the chance to train or play with my teammates. The sense of ball and tacit understanding have deteriorated a lot. I believe that going abroad for training will allow us to regain the feeling of the game and focus on preparing for the World Championship. I hope the Hong Kong team can improve in tactic understanding, physical fitness and technique.”
Wong Ho Tung, another captain of the Men's U21 team pointed out that various trainings were forced to be suspended due to the pandemic, including important events in several training cycles, such as the Hong Kong Open and the premier League. Players lost the opportunity to run in. He said, ‘Although players have been training according to the coaching team’s program during the fields’ closure, their physical and mental conditions are not as good as they were in the past when preparing for the Championship.’
The 4-months overseas training camp for the Hong Kong U21 team is the largest ever organized by the association. It includes daily training, team meetings, friendly matches and participation in regional competitions. Wong Ho Tung said, ‘Players can be immersed in lacrosse-related matters every day. I believe their understanding of tactics, personal skills and physical fitness can be improved rapidly. In addition, the coaching team and players will be staying together day and night which will be great for establishing the relationship and trust between them. I hope that the Hong Kong team will make a name for itself in this World Championship and achieve better results than previous.’
The women's lacrosse team has headed towards Czech Republic to prepare for the 2022 Women's World Lacrosse Championships in Towson, Maryland, USA on June 29.
The national team has not been able to train together for nearly four months since the sports premises closed due to the pandemic situation in Hong Kong. In the final 90-day countdown, the women's team is bound to do everything possible to prepare and meet the top teams around the world‼ ️
17th April, 2022
Hong Kong Team Leaves Home for 4 Months Training to Prepare for U21 Men's Lacrosse World Championship
The U21 Hong Kong men's lacrosse team set off today (April 17, 2022) for a four-month overseas training camp to prepare for the U21 World Men's Lacrosse Championship in Limerick, Ireland from August 10 to 20.
Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Championship originally scheduled in 2020 was postponed to this summer. The age limit of this championship has also been raised from under 20 to under 21 so that overage players will not miss the opportunity to play. The Hong Kong team will start their training camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand and then move to Berlin, Germany, Manchester, England, and Dublin, Ireland. During this period, they will play friendly matches with teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, and China. They will also participate in the Berlin Open from June 20 to 26.
Mr. Chadwick David Fairfoull, Hong Kong Team head coach said, ‘With the latest wave causing a lockdown on training, we are missing key training moments to prepare for the World Championship. Coming out of this latest wave, the fields will open up soon but, to what extent we do not know. So it makes more sense that we go train in Thailand where we can train freely every day and fully prepare for competition. Obviously, more concentrated training will help the players get to know each other better and perform better as a team. Our goal is to make Hong Kong proud with better achievements and accomplishments.
Lo Tin Chiu, captain of the Men's U21 team said: "There have been no games in the past few months and I rarely get the chance to train or play with my teammates. The sense of ball and tacit understanding have deteriorated a lot. I believe that going abroad for training will allow us to regain the feeling of the game and focus on preparing for the World Championship. I hope the Hong Kong team can improve in tactic understanding, physical fitness and technique.”
Wong Ho Tung, another captain of the Men's U21 team pointed out that various trainings were forced to be suspended due to the pandemic, including important events in several training cycles, such as the Hong Kong Open and the premier League. Players lost the opportunity to run in. He said, ‘Although players have been training according to the coaching team’s program during the fields’ closure, their physical and mental conditions are not as good as they were in the past when preparing for the Championship.’
The 4-months overseas training camp for the Hong Kong U21 team is the largest ever organized by the association. It includes daily training, team meetings, friendly matches and participation in regional competitions. Wong Ho Tung said, ‘Players can be immersed in lacrosse-related matters every day. I believe their understanding of tactics, personal skills and physical fitness can be improved rapidly. In addition, the coaching team and players will be staying together day and night which will be great for establishing the relationship and trust between them. I hope that the Hong Kong team will make a name for itself in this World Championship and achieve better results than previous.’
The women's lacrosse team has headed towards Czech Republic to prepare for the 2022 Women's World Lacrosse Championships in Towson, Maryland, USA on June 29.
The national team has not been able to train together for nearly four months since the sports premises closed due to the pandemic situation in Hong Kong. In the final 90-day countdown, the women's team is bound to do everything possible to prepare and meet the top teams around the world‼ ️
