A grass-roots Hong Kong flag football movement is targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after one of its sides finished as runners-up in one of Asia’s top tournaments.
The Hong Kong LionroX side lost 18-41 in the February 9 final of the Ready for Play Tournament in Thailand to the Kuala Lumpur Panthers, which featured six US national team players.
The Hong Kong, China Gridiron Football Association has now set its sights on building a side that can qualify for Asian and world championship tournaments on its way to the Los Angeles Games.
“We started our LionroX team in the fall of 2024, with a lot of guys who’ve been putting in work in the gridiron football scene, and this allowed them to go to the international level,” said the side’s quarterback and association registrar Vincent Cheung Yin-zi.
Flag football is a non-contact version of American football. The city’s domestic league is the Hong Kong, China Gridiron Football Association Flag Football League with two divisions: The Competitive Division, 10 teams of experienced players; and the Coed Division, an eight-team mixed-gender league.
