Joelle Wong, a Hong Kong Jockey Club Striding On Scholarship recipient diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome from birth, initially thought her physical limitations would prevent her from engaging in sports. However, her discovery of table tennis dramatically changed her perspective, not only enabling her to enjoy sports but also paving the way for her to represent Hong Kong at international competitions.

I have a congenital connective tissue disorder, which causes weak muscles and unusually fragile skin, leading me to bruise easily and sometimes even requiring stitches. Because of this, I limited myself to participating in more stationary activities as sports seemed impossible for me. But when I first tried table tennis, I remember being able to move freely around the table. It was an incredible experience —something I never imagined I would be able to do.

I didn’t really have many options as table tennis requires a small range of movement, which was within my physical capabilities. However, I discovered something unique about table tennis: compared to other ball sports, it offers greater variety with different spins and techniques. Competing against different opponents also creates a different dynamic each time, which keeps the game interesting for me. It feels like I’m facing a new challenge every day.

The greatest challenge has been overcoming the relative weakness in my hand strength and core muscles compared to other players at my level. Shortly after I began playing, my coach identified this issue. To address it, I now use a wrist strap to secure my hand to the paddle, which helps stabilise my grip. In addition, the coach trained me to improve my footwork, enhancing my agility and quick lateral movements for executing shots with precision strategy that compensate for my hand strength’s weakness.

Table tennis has significantly changed my values and mindset. Previously, I was very focused on the outcomes of success and failure. However, since I started representing Hong Kong in table tennis at different tournaments, I have come to realise that it is the experience that comes with both winning and losing, particularly the lessons learned from failure, that has shaped me and helped me grow.

I’m most proud of the fact that I’m no longer that kid who easily gives up after an initial burst of enthusiasm. What fills me with the most pride is that I’ve continued to train hard in table tennis, always striving to improve and never giving up despite all the challenges I faced.