CHINESE players Luan Chen, Pi Siwei, Ji Jie and Liu Mengyang are preparing for their Footgolf World Cup debut with the tournament to be held in Argentina from Jan .6 to 10 the next year, Mission Hills said yesterday.

    The four stood out in a three-month program that saw four qualifying rounds. They will represent China at the second Footgolf World Cup.

    Luan Chen, a former soccer player, said his team also includes golf player Liu Mengyang and they can combine golf and soccer skills to better prepare for the tournament.

    Argentina Ambassador to China Alfredo Carlos Bascou, a fan of footgolf, suggested the Chinese players would perform well in the World Cup as all the 30 participating countries will have their chances in the new sport, during a visit to Mission Hills at the weekend.

    As a new member of the Federation of International FootGolf (FIFG), China will have four players at the World Cup while other members can have up to 16 players. Organizers expect about 300 players to join the tournament.

    Ireland, Italy, Australia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have announced their lineups.

    Among them, Ben Clarke from the United Kingdom is the first player in the history, who became a “hat-trick hero,” with three consecutive wins in the European Footgolf Trophy Tour (EFTT),

    The British guy won titles in Croatia, Hungary and Turkey.

    Registered in Hong Kong in March this year, the China Footgolf Federation was officially established by the Mission Hills Group. It is committed to promoting and developing the sport of footgolf in China and the region.

    Citing that China has 200 million soccer spectators and fans, Mission Hills Group Vice Chairman Tenniel Chu said: “In a short space of time, it’s become clear that footgolf in China is here to stay.

    “I’m convinced that footgolf has the capacity to grow in popularity and participation at a fast rate.”(SD News)