'Ball Kei' sends challenge to Olympic paddlers

Olympics fanatic and Canto-pop singer Leo Ku Kui-kei wishes to challenge local table tennis duo, Ko Lai-chak and Li Ching to a table tennis game.

The pair won the Olympic silver medal for the men's doubles for Hong Kong in 2004; the singer says he's been hooked on the sport since a young age.

The singer of hit single Belated Love grew up in Sha Tin and has fond memories of playing table tennis with his neighbours whenever he had some free time. 'I still remember those tables were made of stone unlike the hardboard ones we see today. At the time, children like me growing up on housing estates played table tennis almost every day,' he says.

Ku (left) says he wants to play a friendly match with the two Olympic medallists, but since he hasn't practised the sport for many years, 'I'm not sure if I can return any of their shots, even one'.

He might not be as good at table tennis as he once was, but Ku has the potential to be a comedian, making everyone laugh when he shared some of his childhood ping-pong moments. 'The table always seemed too tall to reach. Once I was trying to save a point, I lost hold of my paddle and it hit the belly of my opponent. Actually, that happened quite a few times.'

Ku says he was also a football fan and even had a nickname when he was a boy, 'Ball Kei', but 'it wasn't a compliment about how good I was as a footballer. It was actually because I was quite chubby at the time and literally, I looked like a ball. But at the end of the day, I was still a good goalkeeper because of my size.'