Drone sports add to low-altitude buzz

Alongside the Government’s push to develop Hong Kong’s low-altitude economy, drone sports have been gaining in popularity.

Aerial showdown: Drone soccer is a team-based aerial sport that involves pilots manoeuvring drones encased in spherical shields, with the aim of scoring by flying through the opposition’s goal hoop. Image source: news.gov.hk

Secondary 2 student Lawrence Tong is a devotee of drone soccer who already has rich drone experience under his belt. He recently joined four teammates to compete in a five-a-side drone soccer tournament at Cyberport.

“I enjoy drone soccer because it helps me improve communication and teamwork, as well as my problem-solving and observation skills,” he said.

The team-based aerial sport involves pilots manoeuvring drones encased in spherical shields. Some pilots act as defenders and others as strikers, and the aim is to score by flying through the opponent’s goal hoop, which is suspended in the air.

Lawrence began learning to programme drones in Primary 1, and was introduced to drone soccer by his extracurricular activity teacher in Primary 4. Now captain of his school’s drone club, he is proficient in everything from drone maintenance to piloting and in-game tactical adaptation.

Drone dream: Drone soccer tournament participant Lawrence Tong hopes the sport helps players improve their communication and problem-solving skills, adding that he hopes to study drone-related subjects in the future. Image source: news.gov.hk

Drone dream

At the tournament, Lawrence analysed the opposing teams before each match and adjusted the drone setups. In between matches, he checked for damage and had to perform quick repairs, such as replacing broken propellers.

He emphasised that teamwork is the key to success in the game, explaining that if a defensive player is knocked out by an opponent, other pilots must quickly shift positions to cover.

Though his team trailed early on in the competition, they eventually found their rhythm and secured fourth place.

Looking ahead, Lawrence said he would like to study drone-related subjects if he gets the chance.

“For now, I will prioritise my studies while continuing to develop my interests. But if I could pursue a career in this field in the future, that would be a dream come true.”

Close alignment: The drone soccer tournament held at Cyberport conformed with the competition rules and standards followed by the 15th National Games, which include an aircraft modelling competition as a mass participation event. Image source: news.gov.hk

Nurturing talent

The tournament was hosted by the DNT FPV Drone Association Hong Kong, China, and drew participants from both secondary and primary schools across Hong Kong, as well as other cities in the Greater Bay Area.

The association’s chairman Sky Yeung highlighted that everything about the event – from the competition rules and drone specifications to the size of the goal hoop – aligned with the standards followed by the 15th National Games, currently underway in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong. For the first time, the roster of mass participation events at the games includes an aircraft modelling competition, featuring drone soccer, drone racing and indoor radio-controlled air combat.

He added that the Cyberport tournament also aimed to give more young people a taste of drone sports and build their problem-solving capabilities.

“For different drones, how to gain the balance, how to have a longer flight time – these all are related to aerodynamics and also the drone technology.

“So the students need to know how to control the drone manually. They need to modify the drone – for example, the flight time, battery lifetime, ESC (electronic speed controller), and PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative control).”

He added that these skills have practical applications beyond the context of sports – from search and rescue operations to cargo lifting and pipe inspections.

Currently, the drone association provides drone-related courses and activities to around 150 local schools.

Mr Yeung believes that Hong Kong youths have immense potential when it comes to innovation and creativity, and that nurturing young drone sports talent can contribute to the city’s low-altitude economy in the future.

Cultivating potential: DNT FPV Drone Association Hong Kong, China Chairman Sky Yeung says the technology used in drone soccer has practical applications, such as in search and rescue operations, and aims to nurture young talent to support the development of Hong Kong’s low-altitude economy. Image source: news.gov.hk

Dedicated facility

Drone sports encompasses a wide variety of formats besides soccer – drone racing, for example, involves pilots flying high-speed drones through obstacle courses.

Racing drones, also known as FPV (first-person view) drones, stream live video from an onboard camera to a pilot’s goggles and can reach speeds of up to 300km per hour. Accordingly, they require venues with high safety standards, and – as Mr Yeung explained – until recently this meant participants often had to travel to other cities in the Greater Bay Area in order to train.

That changed, however, with the opening of Hong Kong’s first drone sports centre at Cyberport in October. The drone association now makes use of this enclosed and safe environment to conduct drone training and explore real-world applications.

Cyberport Management Company Head of Engineering Services Eddie Lok reported that the facility has received a keen response in terms of bookings from drone sports enthusiasts and training providers, and has already hosted a fun day in addition to training sessions.

“With drone sports now featured in both the National Games and the World Games, Cyberport plans to host cross-boundary matches involving Chinese Mainland teams, and even bring international tournaments to Hong Kong in order to promote drone sports on a global scale.”

With the construction of Cyberport 5 set to be completed next month, Mr Lok added that Cyberport will continue to support the Government’s development of Hong Kong’s low-altitude economy and invest in facilities based on industry needs.

Flying start: Cyberport Management Company Head of Engineering Services Eddie Lok says the drone sports centre has received a keen response in terms of bookings since its launch, and has already accommodated three events. Image source: news.gov.hk

Ukrainian drones struck two sprawling warehouses, one of them just east of Moscow, as part of attacks overnight and on Saturday afternoon that killed nine people and wounded more than 80, Russian officials said.

Kyiv's forces have pressed their relentless aerial campaign against energy infrastructure and military targets inside Russia, aiming to undermine Moscow’s war effort and make Russians feel the consequences of the Kremlin's all-out invasion of Ukraine that is well into its fifth year.

Two sprawling warehouses of Russia's major online retailer, Wildberries, were hit by Ukrainian drones overnight, according to Russian officials — one in the town of Kotovsk in the Tambov region, some 360 kilometers (220 miles) from the border with Ukraine, and another in the city of Elektrostal, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Moscow.

A Ukrainian drone also hit an oil depot in the city of Noginsk, just north of Elektrostal, sparking a fire and prompting evacuations of a nearby maternity hospital and a residential building, according to the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov. Drone debris also hit a kindergarten building, Vorobyov said, sparking a fire that has since been put out.

Seven night shift workers were killed at the warehouse in Kotovsk and 25 others were wounded, Tambov regional Gov. Yevgeny Pervyshov said.

A total of 61 people were wounded in the Moscow region, Vorobyov said: 20 sought outpatient care, while 40 others were hospitalized. One person died of their injuries, he said.

One more person was killed and another wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Belgorod region on Saturday afternoon, according to local authorities.

Both warehouses caught fire, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said, and the blaze in Kotovsk was put out. Images and footage released by Russian online outlets showed a fire raging at the Elektrostal facility, with massive plumes of smoke towering over it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post on Saturday that Ukrainian long-range strikes hit two “significant logistical facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions.”

“These facilities were used by the aggressor to supply sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation equipment,” he wrote. An oil facility was also hit, he said.

In the city of Vladimir, some 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of Moscow, a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building, sparking a brief fire, Vladimir Gov. Alexander Avdeyev said. There were no casualties, he added.

Ukrainian special operations also conducted strikes against targets in the Sea of Azov and in occupied territory, Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement on Saturday that the fuel depot in Noginsk that was targeted overnight supplied the Russian armed forces. It also reported hitting two tankers, two floating cranes and a tugboat in the Black and Azov seas, saying the vessels were used to transport oil, fuel and military cargo.

Separately, the military said it struck a Project 10410 Svetlyak-class patrol ship in Kerch, describing it as the second vessel of that class hit in two days, as well as a railway bridge over the Bila River near Sabivka in the occupied Luhansk region that it said Russia uses for military logistics.

Overall, the Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses overnight intercepted 379 Ukrainian drones over 19 Russian regions, as well as the illegally annexed Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo, released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov's official telegram channel, shows a building damaged during a Ukrainian drone attack in Elektrostal, Moscow region of Russia, on Saturday, July 18, 2026. (Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov's official telegram channel via AP) CORRECTION: Corrects Moscow Regoin Governor surname to Vorobyov

This photo, released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's official telegram channel, shows a building damaged during a Ukrainian drone attack in Elektrostal, Moscow region of Russia, on Saturday, July 18, 2026. (Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's official telegram channel via AP)