Hong Kong’s only disabled snooker player Andy Lam defies hypoxia to win tournaments single-handed
- Lam, whose disability forces him to hold a cue with one hand, used to face only able-bodied opponents until he learned of a UK event for single-handed players
- Shortage of funding has posed a challenge but Lam could begin to change that when he represents Hong Kong at the World Abilitysport Games in December
Imagine using only one steady hand to hold the cue during a snooker game, while your other hand, trembling non-stop, remains useless.
Despite dealing with this inhibition every day, Hong Kong’s only disabled snooker player Andy Lam Kai-ming still competes against able-bodied as well as single-handed players.
Lam, who has suffered from hypoxia since birth, explained that his left hand cramps non-stop.
“The frequency of trembling is like an operating massage chair,” the 50-year-old Lam said. “It doesn’t stop until my body is fully relaxed, and I always need up to 45 minutes to just fall asleep every night.”
The disability not only impedes Lam during competitive snooker, which he has been playing against local able-bodied opponents for the past decade, but also affects his daily life.
“Say when I go to the supermarket, I could still use the fingers on my left hand to grab the plastic bag,” he said. “The weight I can carry is about two bottles of water.
