American Ninja Warrior stars call for Hong Kong kids to stop gaming and start moving

Why are Hong Kong kids sitting in front of a screen watching little electronic characters complete a maze when they could be physically doing it themselves? A troupe of American ninjas are in town to find out.

“It’s so easy to get a watered-down version of action and adventure on your video console, but when you have a real life ninja obstacle in front of you – or a rugby field for that matter – it’s real and visceral. We want to show kids it’s way more fun if you use your own body.”

Local ninjas will be able to test themselves on a 120-foot-long ninja obstacle course scaled specifically for young Hongkongers. The course is open to all, but only six to 16-year-olds are eligible to compete in the Wolfpack Ninja Championship from April 6 to 8. The top eight boys and girls will square off in a double elimination bracket before one ninja will be crowned champion on Sunday.

Fans of the hit obstacle course television game show American Ninja Warrior will recognise Kaufman – better known as the ‘Ninjadoc’. Aside from competing on the show for several seasons, Kaufman is also a casualty doctor, a black belt in karate, fluent in Japanese and an avid chess player. 

“It’s definitely serious in there: stabbings, gunshot wounds, heart attacks, strokes ... I’ve been doing it for 15 years and it’s already a big problem. We envision this as a way to prevent millions of other problems, making the world healthier one kid at a time,” said Kaufman, a self-professed perfectionist.