550 Athletes

28 Sep 2010 - Hong Kong authorities announced that a record 550 athletes and officials in 34 sports will represent the city at the Asia Games in Guangzhou in November. This is the largest ever squad that is sent to a multi-sports games (including the Beijing Olympics), as Hong Kong wants to show its sporty image in preparation for a bid to host the Games in 2023. Authorities stress that it is not just about participation, as all selected athletes are estimated having a realistic chance of being competitive. One official said "We have approved sports where we think we have a chance of being competitive. We are not sending a tour group on a holiday." The Hong Kong delegation will not participate in boxing, roller sports, archery, kabbadi, modern pentathlon, sepak takraw and softball. It leaves me with the question what kabbadi and sepak takraw are?