'I am happy to announce that we are sending the largest-ever contingent to the Asian Games, despite a tough vetting process and the recession,' said Fok after naming the squad. 'This is a demonstration of our commitment to the Games.' Once again, Fok refused to guess how many medals Hong Kong athletes might be expected to win in Thailand but it is clear that the ASF&OC is looking to Olympic windsurfing gold medallist Lee Lai-shan and rising snooker star Marco Fu Kar-chun to lead the charge.

'We will not speculate on the number of medals our athletes might receive. We should not apply undue pressure on them . . . but we can assure the public that our athletes have undergone the most rigorous and innovative training regimes ever,' he said.

'We are confident about our chances. Our table tennis achieved excellent results recently in the Asian Championships. Our wushu team is at peak condition. Our golden girl Lee Lai-shan is primed and ready . . . our snooker champion Marco Fu, with his excellent showing at the Grand Prix tournament, is also a competitor of promise.' With the December 6-21 Games little more than a month away, Hong Kong's squad have been stepping up preparations in recent weeks.

ASF&OC secretary-general Pang Chung, who will be Hong Kong's chef de mission in Thailand, has returned from a site visit to Bangkok - and is confident facilities will be ready in time.

'Everything is fine. Of the 43 chefs de mission who visited Thailand, I would say that 98 per cent were happy with what they found. I am quite sure it is going to be satisfactory,' Pang said.

Fok did acknowledge potential logistical headaches, with many of Hong Kong's squad participating in events staged in remote areas of Thailand.

'It is a bit of problem. It is something we will be monitoring closely. These Games are to pose a logistical challenge to our team. Most of the track preliminary qualifiers and football matches are to take place in the suburbs of Bangkok, which is a vast, sprawling city,' he said.

'The marine events will be staged at Pattaya, about 90 miles from Bangkok. With so many people to cater for, our logistics resources will be stretched and medical crew taxed.' The man entrusted with the job of making sure Hong Kong's athletes do not fall foul of expected transport snarl-ups in Bangkok is ASF&OC vice-president Con Conway.

'It is all going to have to be timed to the nth degree,' said Conway. He also said that athletes would not be asked to depart for competition venues early.

'It's just not an option for athletes to leave their accommodation an hour or two hours earlier than they would normally. Athletes can't stand hanging around competition venues ahead of schedule - it's not good for their nerves or psychologically,' he said.

'The transportation is going to have to be a military-style operation. We want it to run just like that.

'We've asked the Sports Development Board if they can provide a helicopter to drop us in and out of places,' Conway quipped.

Hong Kong officials have also briefed athletes on the dangers of eating certain kinds of food in Thailand and are also in the process of making sure all athletes are inoculated against Malaria, Hepatitis A and Typhoid.

Athletes have also been given lectures on performance-enhancing drugs. 'We know just one scandal, or just the suspicion, can taint our whole team,' Fok said.

The expense of drug-testing the entire Hong Kong squad made the policy unfeasible.

But ASF&OC officials were quick to point out last night that as many of the squad would be athletes from Hong Kong Sports Institute elite programmes, the chances of any embarrassments were low.

'We're confident that it won't be a problem,' said ASF&OC vice-president Vivien Fung. 'Many of the athletes are already subjected to regular tests at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, so I don't think we are going to have any problems.' Full squad - Page 17