The Hong Kong International Gateball Championship was hosted by the Hong Kong, China Gateball Association Co. Ltd from the 5th to 7th December 2025.
The Championship was a Team event with 24 teams entered including local teams and international participants from China, China Macau, Chinese Taipei and Australia. Six Gateball Australia players entered as one team (Geoff Crook (Captain), Peter Martyniuk, Ros Crowe, Maddi Crowe, Petula Shun and Julia Tai), pictured here with Doris who plays with Strathfield CC and lives in Hong Kong.
For Stage 1, the teams were allocated into 8 groups, each containing 3 teams. All team advanced to Stage 2. In Stage 2, the teams were re-grouped into 8 groups of three teams (a team that placed 1st in Stage 1, a team that placed 2nd in Stage 1 and a team that placed 3rd in Stage 1). The top two teams from each group after Stage 2 progressed to Stage 3.
The 16 teams in Stage 3 competed in a knockout round. The 8 winners proceeded to another single elimination round. The four winners of the elimination round proceeded to Stage 4 (Final) single elimination rounds of the Gold Group, which determined 1st-4th place. The losers of the elimination round went on to the Stage 4 (Finals) of the Silver group to determine 1st -4th place. The Gold event was won by a team from Hong Kong.
The Championship format meant that teams had the opportunity to play 4 games in total during Stage 1 and 2, and more games if they progressed through to Stages 3 and 4 (Final).
The venue was the Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground Grass Pitch in Diamond Hill, Kowloon. The venue provided seating and shelter underneath and upstairs in the stadium.
International players stayed at the Regal Riverside Hotel in Shatin and a Welcome Dinner was hosted for all teams on the first night of the event at Club One, Telford.
We are grateful to all the volunteers and staff of the Hong Kong, China Gateball Association who assisted us during our visit. We were especially thrilled to catch up with the Hong Kong team who attended the Australian Gateball Championships in October 2025. They made us feel very welcome in Hong Kong and many of the Hong Kong teams expressed that they are keen to attend the AGC2027.
Ros Crowe – National Coordinator – Gateball
