HONG KONG judo players have begun the long road that leads to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the United States.

The Hiroshima Asian Games is one of several major regional competitions which serves as qualifying rounds for the Olympics. So far, women's 61-kilogram player Wu Ching-hui has the best chance of making the Olympics following her bronze medal on Thursday. Hong Kong's two players in action yesterday at the Sun Plaza in Hiroshima will have a much harder time in their quest for an Olympic place. Law Lai-wah was beaten in the first round of the women's 56-kilogram competition by Mongolia's Dashkhuu Altantuya.

Neither player scored any points during the four-minute bout, leaving it up to Japanese referee Yasuhiro Yamamoto to call the fight. Yamamoto gave Altantuya the bout. Law did not make it into the repecharge. Chan Mei-ling, in the women's 52-kilogram event, was beaten by Japan's Atuko Takeda in her first-round match.

She then needed Atsuko to beat China's Wang Jin in the second round to qualify for the repecharge. Atsuko complied, but only after coming from behind to defeat the Chinese on an 'ippon', a clean throw followed by holding her opponent on the floor for 30 seconds. However, Chan was beaten by Wang in her opening-round repecharge, also by an ippon. Hong Kong's final judo player, Wat Tze-wan, takes part in the men's 60-kilogram event today.