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

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A heavy Russian drone bombardment of Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa killed at least three people and wounded 23, including two children and a pregnant woman, officials said Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for speedier U.S. efforts to end Russia's almost 4-year-old invasion of his country.

The Odesa attack involved more than 50 drones, some of them models recently upgraded by Russia to improve their range and strike power, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The drones targeted the power grid, which Russia has repeatedly bombarded during the coldest winter in years, and also hit five apartment blocks, officials said. Emergency crews retrieved the bodies of two men, aged 90 and 52, and a woman from the rubble, authorities said.

“The rescue operation will continue until the fate of all people who may be under the rubble is clarified,” Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that an informal Protestant place of worship was also damaged.

“Each such Russian strike undermines diplomacy, which is still ongoing, and hits, in particular, the efforts of partners who are helping to end this war,” he said.

In Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv region, a passenger train carrying over 200 people was hit by three drones later Tuesday, in what the head of the regional administration Oleh Syniehubov labelled “terrorism.” Four people were killed and another four reported missing.

A diplomatic push by the Trump administration to end the war has made progress, according to officials, but has delivered no breakthrough on the key issue of what happens to Russian-occupied Ukrainian land and other territory that Moscow is demanding.

Analysts says that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in no rush to find a settlement, despite his army’s difficulties on the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line. He believes that time is on his side, that Western support for Kyiv will fade and that Ukraine’s resistance will eventually break under pressure, according to analysts.

To replenish its forces and keep up the pressure on Kyiv, Moscow is offering cash bonuses, freeing convicts from prison and luring foreigners to its army.

An Associated Press investigation found that unwitting Bangladeshi workers were enticed to Russia under the false promise of civilian work before being thrown into combat in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said late Monday the next round of talks with the United States and Russia is penciled in for Feb. 1. but that “it would be good if this meeting could be accelerated.”

He also urged that, in the meantime, additional sanctions be imposed on Russia to compel the Kremlin to make compromises.

Russia fired 165 drones at Ukraine overnight, with 24 of them that got through air defenses hitting targets in seven regions, according to Ukraine’s air force.

In recent weeks, the relentless barrages have damaged some of Ukraine’s protected world heritage sites in Odesa, the western city of Lviv and the capital, Kyiv, UNESCO said Tuesday.

They have also knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of civilians. More than 900 apartment blocks remained without heating Tuesday in several districts of Kyiv, Zelenskyy said. Kyiv, a city of about 3 million people, is dominated by tower blocks, many from the Soviet era.

Russia has been improving its drone technology and tactics, striking Ukraine with increasing success.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s main intelligence directorate said earlier this month that Russia had deployed the new jet-powered “Geran-5” strike drone against Ukraine for the first time. The Geran is a Russian variant of the Iranian-designed Shahed.

According to the directorate, the drone can carry a 90-kilogram (200-pound) warhead and has a range of nearly 1,000 kilometers (600 miles).

In response, Ukraine has significantly expanded production of interceptor drones, as well as developing its own long-range drones.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its air defenses shot down 19 Ukrainian drones overnight over several Russian regions.

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

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade press service, declared to be taken on Jan. 24, 2026, an MRLS BM-21 "Grad" fires towards Russian army positions near Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Ukraine. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)

Broken window glass is seen in an apartment following a Russian air attack in the city center in Odesa, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Shtekel)

Rescue workers clear the rubble of a residential building which was heavily damaged after a Russian strike in Odesa, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Shtekel)

Rescue workers clear the rubble of a residential building which was heavily damaged after a Russian strike in Odesa, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Shtekel)

Rescue workers clear the rubble of a residential building which was heavily damaged after a Russian strike in Odesa, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Shtekel)