ITTF World Cup: Hong Kong’s Lam Siu-hang to take injured Lin Shidong’s spot in Macau
Veteran gains entry as highest-ranked losing quarter-finalist at Asian Cup in February; Doo Hoi-kem is city’s only women’s player in field
Hong Kong’s Lam Siu-hang will replace injured Chinese world No 5 Lin Shidong in the field for the ITTF World Cup in Macau, less than a week before the event starts next Monday.
The 20-year-old withdrew because of recurrent tendinitis and a partial tear in his rotator cuff. Medical and coaching staff cited the player being in persistent pain and having restricted shoulder movement caused by accumulated fatigue from a dense tournament schedule.
The coaching team made the decision to protect the World Cup runner-up’s long-term health, with Lin currently unable to handle the high intensity of World Cup competition.
Under tournament rules, an absent continental qualifier can be replaced by the highest-ranked losing quarter-finalist from that continent’s cup tournament.
Lam earned the spot after reaching the top eight at the 2026 Asian Cup in February. The other three losing quarter-finalists from that event have already qualified for the World Cup.
Currently ranked No 93, Lam performed well at the Asian Cup, coming from behind in one match to defeat then-world No 12 Xiang Peng before losing in straight sets to Tomokazu Harimoto in the quarter-finals.