Olympic athletes from Hong Kong of China are making their final preparations ahead of the Tokyo Games.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted much of their training and left them starved of international competition. But they are hoping that won't stop them bringing home a record haul of medals.

Team Hong Kong's fencing squad would normally have spent the past year competing around the world to get ready for the Games. COVID-19 has made that impossible.

But former Asian Fencing Champion Vivian Kong said she's made the most of the lack of travel opportunities.

"We have an amazing team and amazing facilities," she said. "It's also the longest period of time I've ever had just to focus on training and getting myself into really good shape. So I've really taken advantage of this time just to learn more and grow as a fencer."

The fencers train at the Hong Kong Sports Institute which offers full-time funding and accommodation for the territory's top athletes. To protect them from COVID-19 it has organized free on-site vaccinations, regular testing and multiple lockdowns of its facilities.

There are also intense final preparations underway on the track at the Hong Kong Velodrome.

Former Olympic medalist Sarah Lee is seeking another spot on the podium in Tokyo.

She won a bronze at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but crashed out in Rio four years later.

She said she's feeling stronger now than ever and isn't worried about the lack of recent chances to test herself against her podium rivals.

"Nowadays there are so many social media sites where we can find their results," she said. "I think we can still know how the others are doing."

Hong Kong of China has won two other Olympic medals.

Ko Lai-chan and Li Ching took silver in table tennis doubles in 2004, and windsurfer Lee Lai Shan claimed Hong Kong's only gold, back in 1996.

There are hopes of more water-based success this year.

Winne Hung is making her Olympic debut after securing a last-minute qualification at a regatta in Japan in May. The race gave her valuable experience of the Olympic facilities, but meant she had to spend three weeks quarantining in a hotel room when she returned to Hong Kong.

"Since I was just stuck in my room, I used a fitness video game to deal with the boredom," she said. "It helped me to maintain my strength and mental sharpness at the same time."

With so little time until the Games, her quarantine was also a challenge for her coaching team.

Head Rowing coach Chris Perry has been to multiple Olympic Games, but said he has never had to coach via a video link before.

"It was certainly a new experience for me," he said. "We wanted to have a real routine in quarantine because it's very easy to lose track of time and get into sleeping and waking up at all sorts of strange hours. So we set a routine every day with a specific training time, specific exercise time, and specific eating time."

Hong Kong of China is sending athletes to compete in 14 events in Tokyo.

COVID-19 travel restrictions are preventing Hong Kongers from supporting them in person, but it will be easier than ever to cheer them on from afar. 

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has bought the TV broadcasting rights for the Games for the first time, meaning this year everyone will be able to watch at home for free.