Why Hong Kong teens are playing flag football: ‘This is just an amazing sport’
The sport, which will be at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, is exciting and competitive while being safer than rugby or American football
Marcus Fung plays flag football. Photo: HandoutMarcus Fung holds a ball as he runs across the field, trying to avoid opponents who want to remove the flags hanging from his waist.
The 15-year-old Hongkonger is playing flag football. This sport is as exciting and competitive as American football, but it has a far lower risk of injury.
For the first time in Olympic history, flag football will be an official sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. A growing number of children in Hong Kong are trying this sport.
“This is just an amazing sport,” Marcus said. “It’s for anybody. No matter if you’re really strong or if you’re really fast, you’ll fit in.”
Why Sidney Chu is building a future for Hong Kong winter sport athletes
Safe and easy to learn
Marcus is part of OTT Flag Football, which offers team classes and private training sessions for youth.
Aldo Legarda, one of OTT’s co-founders, noted that Marcus was the academy’s first student when it first started in 2023.
“We started with just one student, which was Marcus,” said Legarda, who is also a coach. “We currently have 20 to 30 students coming every week.”
He added the sport was easy for newcomers to learn.
“There’s a position for everyone, basically: running, catching or pulling a flag,” he said.
Marcus thinks flag football is growing because it is safer than rugby and American football. These sports can be dangerous because players must tackle each other.
“Flag [football] is a non-contact sport, and the main goal is to prevent you from getting hurt while being able to still enjoy [it],” he said.
Because opponents do not attack each other, boys and girls can play flag football together.
Thirteen-year-old Annabel Chow has been playing flag football with OTT for a year.
“A lot of us [girls] who play are from the same school,” said Annabel, who attends Hong Kong International School.
First time at the Olympics
When Marcus heard that flag football was going to be in the next Summer Olympics, he said he thought this was a natural way to advertise the sport.
“People ... [will] find a way to play the sport, seeing if they can make the Olympics,” he said.
Jay Ma is the president of the Hong Kong American Football Legion. He agreed that the Olympics was one of the “biggest pushes” in boosting the sport’s popularity.
He hopes this rise in popularity will convince the government to support flag football, which would make it easier for teams to access field space.
Get more people into the sport
The Olympics announcement has also brought more local Hongkongers to this sport, according to Jonny Kuilderd. He is OTT’s head coach and the president of the flag football division of the Hong Kong China Gridiron Football Association.
“Before, in Hong Kong, it was a majority-expat sport,” he said. “In the last three years, it’s about fifty-fifty now with the local community, which is from the Olympics.”
Annabel also hopes to see more girls joining flag football. “[In OTT] there’s definitely a lot more boys than there are girls,” she said. “But also ... the more popular it gets, the more [girls] will play.”
Legarda said the youth team was working to invite more girls to try the sport through camps at schools and other youth programmes.
“When their interest level is there [and] they’re into it, they find that ... they can do everything that the boys [can],” he said.
-
Reflect: What is your favourite sport?
-
Why this story matters: Compared to similar sports like rugby or American football, flag football is quite safe for children because players do not have to tackle each other. This also makes it easy for girls and boys to play together. This sport could be a way for kids in Hong Kong to learn something new and get more exercise.
boosting 提升
to increase or improve something