For love of the game: why some athletes chase impossible Olympic dreams

When lacrosse returns to the Olympic Games in 2028 after more than a century away, it is unlikely that Hong Kong will be involved in any capacity other than watching.

Just 12 teams – six in the men’s competition, six in the women’s – will take part in the shortened sixes format of the sport in Los Angeles, and Hong Kong’s sides, ranked 13th and 21st in the world, respectively, in the 10s version, are some way off breaking into the rarefied air occupied by those who will battle for gold.

There is...