Hong Kong will have to use their heads and hearts to qualify for the World Championships for the first time, says coach Connie Wong.
We need to play smart and play our hearts out if we are to make it to the World Championships
She takes a 12-strong squad to Singapore on Saturday for the Asian Championships from September 7-14. The top two qualify for the worlds in Australia next year.
"We need to play smart and play our hearts out if we are to make it to the World Championships. I know we have the team to beat the top three teams in Asia on any given day and we need to believe in ourselves," Wong said.
Hong Kong are drawn with India, Japan, Vietnam and the hosts in the preliminaries of the 10-team tournament. The other pool includes Asian powerhouses Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
The top two in each pool meet in a crossover semi-final to decide the finalists. Hong Kong last played in the World Championships in 2003, but teams didn't have to qualify back then.
"Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka have been the top three Asian teams in recent years but I believe the format of the competition will suit our team," Wong said. "We need to make sure we win our games against India, Japan and Vietnam and make it to the crossover semi-finals and once we are there if we play smart, anything can happen."