Hong Kong para table tennis players are set for their mission to win medals in the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games.

The table tennis competitions are being split between two parallel events: the National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the Special Olympics.

The SAR plays host to a portion of the action, welcoming athletes with intellectual disabilities for all Special Olympics table tennis matches at the Tsuen Wan Sports Centre on December 6, 8 and 9.

Additionally, the SAR will host the TT11 class event – a specific sport classification within the National Games for Persons with Disabilities – from December 11 to 14.

The remaining classes – TT1-TT5 for wheelchair athletes and TT6-TT10 for standing athletes – will be held in Guangzhou.

Among Hong Kong’s top contenders is Wong Hon-lam, who will compete in the men’s TT8 class singles, doubles, team event and the mixed doubles XD14.

Wong’s journey to the para circuit was paved with his resilience.

Selected for Hong Kong’s youth table tennis team as a teenager, his path changed dramatically seven years ago when a hip injury during Youth Olympic preparations left him with permanently reduced mobility.

"It felt like the sky had fallen on me because I was preparing for the Youth Olympics and wanted to develop my career in able-bodied sports, and suddenly it felt like I had lost everything," Wong said.

"This time, I’m participating in four events at the National Games, hoping to win a medal, regardless of its colour."

In the XD14 mixed doubles, Wong is partnering with 19-year-old Winnie Pang, a rising talent who has had to overcome challenges of her own due to cerebral palsy, which affects movement in her right limbs.

The pair are considered strong medal prospects after clinching gold at the Asian Para Table Tennis Championships in October.

Pang sees table tennis as a powerful outlet for her determination and growth.

"Table tennis has changed me. It has shown me that I can really achieve what I want to do," she said.