The Hong Kong soccer team's participation in May's East Asian Games will depend on their performances in this year's World Cup qualifying campaign, the territory's Olympic chief, A. de O. Sales, hinted last night. Hong Kong, who meet Thailand on Sunday in Bangkok in their second Group Six qualifier, have already been beaten 2-0 at home by section favourites South Korea last month. The Hong Kong Football Association will consult with national coach Kwok Ka-ming, currently training his squad in Kuala Lumpur, before deciding on whether or not to make a submission to compete in the Games in Pusan, South Korea. But Sales, president of the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee (ASF&OC), said Hong Kong's emphasis should be on individual sports. 'It depends on the decision of the selectors,' Sales said after last night's ASF&OC annual general meeting. 'We have received a lot of requests to compete in the Games. 'But we must make sure that we send a squad who are competitive and able to prove themselves against the kind of quality opposition they will face at the East Asian Games. 'For this to happen, the emphasis must be on individual sports. Football must also prove themselves. We will be watching them.' It is understood that Kwok, whose contract only covers the World Cup qualifiers, is keen for Hong Kong to compete in the East Asian Games, which will feature top regional sides from South Korea, Japan, China and Kazakhstan. Hong Kong's final qualifying game is away to South Korea nine days after the East Asian Games. Sales said that, ideally, he would like to see Hong Kong send a 100-strong squad, including athletes, coaches and officials. The East Asian Games, Hong Kong's last major multi-sports venture under British rule, will feature 13 medal sports - athletics, swimming, boxing, judo, weightlifting, gymnastics, soccer, basketball, badminton, taekwondo, wrestling and soft tennis. Rowing will be a demonstration sport. China, Japan, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Macau, Mongolia, Taiwan and Guam, by invitation, will compete in the May 9-19 event. Sales said that screening for the Games will once again be strict. 'Selection for the Olympic Games was easy because there is a quota,' said Sales. 'But for events like the East Asian Games and Asian Games, it is more open. 'But still, we will make sure that the athletes will be competitive. In fact, we received a fax from Korean organisers saying that they hope our athletes will be 'competitive and top-notch'.' At last night's AGM, Sales unveiled Hong Kong's post-handover emblem to be worn on the pockets of the territory's Olympic athletes and replace the current colonial crest. Sales revealed that the emblem, with a bauhinia and the Olympic rings, was actually designed almost 20 years ago before the talks between Britain and China over Hong Kong's handover even started. 'We have improved upon it a bit, but we sent the design to the International Olympic Committee almost 20 years ago,' said Sales. 'However, they said we already had an emblem and we decided that we would hold it for future use.' The emblem is separate from the official Hong Kong flag to be used in sporting events after the handover, which will be the flag of the Special Administrative Region. The first major multi-sport event in which the new logo will be worn is the December, 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.
