Hong Kong men's basketball to play Asian Games after Lebanon leaves last minute

The Hong Kong men's basketball team dramatically qualified for the Hangzhou Asian Games after the Lebanon team withdrew from the competition at the last minute.

The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) said on Saturday that the Hong Kong team will be included in the 5×5 basketball event of this year's Asian Games, with the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee also confirming the arrangement.

The top sports authority also informed the Basketball Association of Hong Kong about the news.

This comes after a change in the format of the Asian Games 5 on 5 basketball event removed the tournament's preliminary round, disqualifying Hong Kong from earning a ticket into the main event as they were not a top 16 team in the Asian rankings.

SF&OC even posted a notice on Monday (Sep 11) to announce their regret at not being able to secure qualification for the Hong Kong basketball representative of the Asian Games. 

It was learned that Lebanon's basketball team will not take part in this year's Asian Games as several team members are still suffering from injuries, and they have local commitments in October.