The recruitment of 10,000 volunteers for the 15th National Games in Macau was officially launched on Friday, according to a statement by the Sports Bureau (ID) on that day, which added that those aged at least 16 can apply through the bureau’s website: www.sport.gov.mo/zh/calendary/type/item/id/8973 or their Macau One Account from now on.
Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau will jointly host the 15th National Games in 2025.
The “Recruitment Ceremony for Volunteers and Partners”, which was launched by the Macau Organising Committee on Friday night at the Macau Science Centre in Nape, was presided over by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U, who is also the chairwoman of the organising committee.
According to the ceremony, the volunteers will be divided into two categories, one is to assist in general services such as venue guidance, concierge reception, medical support services and venue logistics services, while the other is to provide support to the competition, such as assisting the referees and working the timing and scoring system, as well as assisting in the event’s prize ceremonies and reception services.
ID President Pun Weng Kun, who is the secretary-general of the organising committee, said during Friday’s ceremony that the volunteers will play “a vital role” in the entire competition, adding that those who are interested in joining the volunteer work will only finally be selected after various stages of theoretical training and practice runs.
Pun told reporters on the sidelines of Friday’s ceremony that since the closing of the 14th National Games, preparations for hosting the 15th National Games in Macau have been underway, including analysing whether the city’s stadiums meet the standards for hoisting the competitions, evaluating whether enough technical staff, judges and timing and scoring professionals can be supplied by local associations. Pun added the assessments so far have shown that most of the stadiums under his bureau are in compliance with the required standards. However, he pointed out, the timing and scoring systems of some venues still needed to be updated with new equipment due to new competition rules. The replacement of the equipment will not affect the public’s use, Pun underlined.
Pun also said that Macau would discuss with the mainland authorities which sporting events of the 15th National Games would finally be held here, according to the conditions of the city’s stadiums, the performance of local athletes and the specific sport events’ popularity among Macau’s residents and tourists, hoping to take this opportunity to promote Macau’s sports tourism, while also attracting more tourists to the city.
Pun pointed out that the organising committee would strive to hold table tennis as one of the competition events, adding that as Macau successfully held a large international event run by World Table Tennis (WTT) last year, he believed that Macau can hold such events “well”.
The General Administration of Sport of China will announce further details in the future, according to Pun, such as which events will be hosted by Macau.
Sports Bureau (ID) President Pun Weng Kun talks to reporters after Friday’s 15th National Games volunteers’ recruitment ceremony at the Macau Science Centre in Nape. – Photo courtesy of TDM
