The governing body for lacrosse has said they will use the success of the Super Sixes tournament to develop star players in the SAR, ahead of the sport’s highly anticipated return to the 2028 Olympic Games. Japan took the top spot in the tournament held over the weekend after beating the Philippines, while the SAR squad finished fourth out of five participating teams. They fell just short of the podium after losing 21-9 to powerhouse Germany in the bronze medal bout. The head of the Hong Kong, China Lacrosse Association Raymond Fong on Sunday said the tournament’s success serves as a testament to the sport’s rising popularity in the region. "One thing that is becoming very obvious now is that everyone is improving. If you look at countries like the Philippines and China, compared to where they were last year – they've upped their game." He also said the results serve as motivation for the local squad to improve. "So for the Hong Kong team, it's not about just playing the game and maintaining the status quo – it's not the case anymore, and we have to be better and better." Lacrosse is set to make a comeback at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, the first time it will be featured at the world’s largest sporting event in over a century. The coach for the SAR's lacrosse squad, Chan Hon-kei, said the experience his team gained from the Super Sixes tournament was a stepping stone towards the possibility of competing at the Olympic level. “We have a lot of hope and expectation for this group to grow to be better, to compete in the world stage. So this tournament really gave us a chance to see the [level of play] that we can be at.” Chan added that despite the loss over the weekend, there are a lot of opportunities to develop good players in the city. "We started in the grassroots and with a lot of kids, usually starting them young from the age of five," Chan said. "They can learn all the skills they need, so when they grow up, they have all they need."
