New blood and old heads give Hong Kong belief in netball World Cup bid
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In the past, the top two finishers in five regional qualifiers have progressed to the World Cup, alongside six other teams, including the host nation. In two years' time, that will be Australia.
But the city's women do not have a great track record at the biennial regional tournament, having won it only once, when it was staged in Hong Kong in 1993. They have not managed to finish in the top three since then.
The next tournament though will be held at Kai Tak Sports Park, and Gessy Li Ga-wing, 27, believed that would give her team its best chance of qualifying for the 'Olympic-like' tournament for the first time since 2003.
'Any netball player wants to go to the World Cup, it's like the Olympics for us,' said Li, who has been playing the sport for 15 years. 'We're still working to be an Olympic sport, so the World Cup is the highest level you can play.
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'The opportunity to play with the top teams like Australia and New Zealand excites me. I know this team can get there because we have a good mix of veterans and new players coming in.'
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