The men’s ice hockey team of China’s Macao held their final training camp in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, on Friday, before departing for the ninth Asian Winter Games that will begin on February 7 in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.
The team has no professional players – instead, it is composed of firefighters, office workers and even teenagers. After the only ice rink in the Macao Special Administrative Region closed, the team traveled to Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong Province, three times week for training sessions and practice.
For this particular practice, the team chose to go to the city of Shenzhen which contains a standard-sized rink which allows for more realistic simulations for the competitions at Harbin 2025.
The team was founded 20 years ago and the latest roster is 23 years old on average. All players are from Macao and the captain, Leong Chon Kong, has been with the team since it’s establishment. Despite the poor local infrastructure for ice hockey, he still loves the sport and wants to help the next generation continue to chase their dreams.