15th Natl Games to fast-track Greater Bay Area integration

Underlined by new practices in running cross-border events and measures to promote sports tourism collectively, organizers of the 15th National Games expect to leverage the sporting spectacle's impact to further boost integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The event will be held from Nov 9 to 21.

With 419 medal events of 34 sports to be held across three hosting areas in Guangdong province and Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, the 2025 National Games will help experiment with new solutions for co-organizing mass-scale events collectively, integrate tourism resources across the region and boost emotional ties between the mainland and Hong Kong as well as Macao, according to the organizing committee of the 15th National Games.

An innovative plan of hosting a cross-border road cycling race along a route connecting the three hosting locations on one day will set a perfect example for the National Games' legacy for pushing integration of the Greater Bay Area fast ahead, said Tong Lixin, a vice-president of the organizing committee.

"We've completed quite a successful test run of the race, and it has proved that we can figure out a method for smooth transfer of personnel, materials and supplies across the three areas not just for this particular competition, but also for co-hosting more cultural, tourism and business cooperation events in the future," said Tong, who is also a vice-minister of the General Administration of Sport of China.

The men's individual road cycling race, with a roadmap spanning about 230 kilometers, will start from Zhuhai in Guangdong province, loop through northern Macao, and then cross the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to reach Hong Kong Disneyland, where cyclists will then head back to Zhuhai on the home sprint.

Organizers and relevant departments in the three cities, along with tech suppliers, have developed a tailor-made customs clearance system that will guarantee a nonstop operation of the race; documents for athletes' passage will be pre-checked before the race, and then double-checked by sensors scanning their faces and wristbands whenever they pedal past mid-race border checkpoints even at high speed, according to the organizing committee.

Such logistical innovations will help shed light on more convenient and smoother travel across the three areas in the near future, improving efficiency upon the current system that requires regular visitors to stop for a document check at border control checkpoints.

"Co-hosting the 15th National Games has offered Hong Kong a great opportunity to integrate into the overall development of the Greater Bay Area and the whole country, and implement the 'one country, two systems' policy perfectly," said Chan Kwok-ki, chief secretary for the administration of Hong Kong.

"Preparing for and co-organizing the National Games will further strengthen the cooperation between Hong Kong and other cities in the Greater Bay Area, and will help better address logistical and transportation challenges altogether," said Chan, also a vice-president of the organizing committee.

An estimated 15,000 athletes are expected to compete at the mega sporting gala, which will run competitions across 17 cities within Guangdong, along with Hong Kong and Macao.

To better attract visitors and stimulate consumption in retailing, accommodation and tourism, some of the most popular events on the National Games program, such as fencing, table tennis and volleyball, will be held in Hong Kong and Macao, to offer local residents a rare opportunity to watch and follow some of China's most sought-after Olympic champions up close.

"It will be a great chance for sports fans in Hong Kong and young people in general to develop a stronger sense of national pride and get inspired by their sporting idols," said Chan.

O Lam, secretary for social affairs and culture of Macao, said Macao is fully prepared to host all the 14 medal events without a glitch and impress spectators and tourists during the event with a warm reception.

"We will maximize the exposure drawn by co-hosting the National Games to present Macao's attraction as a tourism destination and a hub for international sporting events," said O, a vice-president of the organizing committee.

The quadrennial sporting gala will kick off with a grand opening ceremony, which will feature a combination of southern China culture and modern appeals of Hong Kong and Macao, enhanced by high-tech performances, according to Wang Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Over 90 percent of the venues in the three hosting areas are existing facilities and all of them have been tested and renovated for operating competitions in a "green and sustainable" way, according to Wang.