The Hong Kong Lacrosse Association has named 23 players who will represent the special administrative region at the Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships in Denver, the United States, from July 10-19.

Following a grueling selection process, the men's national team was chosen from a squad of 70 players.

Head coach Scott Browning said the skill and depth exhibited by the 23-man roster would continue to be built upon over the coming months.

"The try-out process began last summer and has been extremely competitive. Following our Chinese New Year training camp, we finally selected a dedicated group of athletes to represent Hong Kong," said Browning.

"There was fierce competition for spots on the roster which resulted in some difficult decisions for the coaching staff. I have been impressed with the commitment and desire to get better, both in terms of individual skills and as a team. Our roster has a good combination of experienced players and youthful talent. I am confident the team will represent Hong Kong with pride and we will see an improved result from previous World Championships."

The team is now focused on preparing for the Hong Kong Open, an invitational tournament set to be held over the Easter weekend (April 18-21).

Louis Hou, executive director of the HKLA, the governing body of lacrosse in Hong Kong, says along with helping mark the HKLA's 20th anniversary, the Hong Kong Open will be an excellent opportunity for people to watch quality lacrosse.

"We are excited to be hosting players from Shanghai, South Korea and Singapore. As the international lacrosse community continues to prepare for the upcoming world championships, people can expect to see the passion, dedication and determination it takes to be a lacrosse player live and up close."

(China Daily 03/16/2014 page11)