Drone Soccer takes off in Hong Kong, as city team gears up for first World Cup
Team of eight heading to South Korea next week to take on best of the rest from 32 other countries and territories
Crashing drones into each other at up to 100mph while attempting to pilot another through a hoop to score may not sound like sport, but for a pair of Hong Kong pupils it is a joy that will take them to a World Cup next week.
A mixture of skill, tactics and awareness, Drone Soccer has been gradually growing to the extent the global competition in South Korea will feature more than 2,500 players from 33 countries and places - Hong Kong included.
The city’s team ranges in age from 23 to just eight, and captain Chris Wu Shang-dong, a tennis fan who counts Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic among his sporting heroes, said the inclusivity was one of the things that attracted him to the game.
“Our team spans many age groups,” the 16-year-old told the Post during a demonstration at the Tung Po venue in San Po Kong. “It’s intriguing because it’s more about tactics than physical demands.
“It might look a bit difficult, but it’s all about tactics; it’s quite similar to chess, but not in the sense that [drone soccer] requires teamwork.”
There are eight players in the city’s squad, with five competing in a match - a goalkeeper, sweeper, midfielder, striker, and guide. Only the striker is allowed to score, with the rest working to clear a path for them to do so.