A delegation of Team China athletes who competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games arrived here yesterday afternoon from Zhuhai via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoint for a three-day visit until tomorrow.
According to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS), the visit’s intention is to share the athletes’ stories of success and experiences with local residents.
According to the statement, the athletes will participate in this morning’s flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR). The athletes will then visit some of the city’s UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites. They will also share their achievements’ experiences and stories with local youngsters and athletes. This evening, the delegation will attend a variety show at the Macau East Asian Games Dome.
The delegation comprises 68 members, including 29 Olympic athletes from 11 sporting events such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics’ gold medallist on the rings Liu Yang, gold medallist in women’s trampoline Zhu Xueying, the first Chinese sprinter to reach an Olympic 100-metre final Su Bingtian, table tennis Grand Slam winner Ma Long, and the nation’s first Olympic gold medallist in women’s individual epee fencing Sun Yiwen.
Welcoming ceremony
According to the GCS statement, the local government held a welcoming ceremony for the delegation yesterday afternoon at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. The delegation is headed by General Administration of Sport of China Deputy Director Yang Ning. The delegation was greeted by Sports Bureau (ID) President Pun Weng Kun, and the deputy director of the Publicity and Culture Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR, Yin Rutao, as well as about 100 local students.
Banquet
The government hosted a banquet last night at the Grand Hyatt in the City of Dreams resort to welcome the delegation. There were about 150 participants.
Deputy Commissioner of the Foreign Ministry Commissioner’s Office Wang Dong, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elise Ao Ieong U and other government officials and association representatives attended the banquet.
Ao Ieong mentioned in her speech that the visit allows residents to learn from the delegation about loving the nation as well as perseverance and hard work. Moreover, she pointed, the delegation’s visit to Macau coincides with the celebration of the MSAR’s 22nd establishment anniversary, a fact which reflects the nation’s care and support for Macau.
Yang said in her speech that the delegation is able to visit Macau despite the COVID-19 restriction so that its members can thank local residents for their support and love.
The delegation spent two weeks’ quarantine after visiting Hong Kong and before their arrival in Macau.
HK$14 million in cash prizes
Before the banquet, there was a donation ceremony in which several entities awarded cash prizes to the delegation, namely the Henry Fok Foundation (HK$5 million); Sports Fund (HK$4 million); Macau Chinese Enterprises Association (HK$2 million), Ma Man Kei family members (HK$2 million); and Bank of China Macau Branch (HK$1 million).
Sports Bureau (ID) President Pun Weng Kun (front, sixth from left) and Deputy Director General Administration of Sport of China Deputy Director Yang Ning (front, seventh from right) pose with the delegation of the nation’s top Olympians upon their arrival at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoint yesterday afternoon. The banner offers the delegation a “warm welcome”. Photo: Maria Cheang
