Hong Kong's first-ever inline skating hockey team are vying for a medal at the 11th Asian Roller Sports Championships starting on Tuesday in South Korea.
Along with four speed and artistic skaters from the SAR, the team of 10 are hoping to clinch a silver or bronze medal at the championship in Jeonju. They are expected to meet challenges from Taiwan, Iran and the two Asian hockey leaders, Japan and South Korea.
Inline hockey, a relatively new sport that originated in California, has similar rules to ice hockey - with five players in each team, including a goalkeeper, and the players wear roller-skates instead of ice skates.
Team captain Ashley Chow said inline hockey had been big in California for about a decade.
'People in California like roller-skating along the beaches and perhaps that's why they incorporated hockey with roller-skating,' Chow said.
The Hong Kong team comprise players aged from 16 to early 40s.
Chow, who also acts as coach, said: 'Inline hockey is such a new sport in Hong Kong. There aren't any real coaches around. I watched coaching videos, did research and observed how other teams play.