Sports Bureau (ID) President Pun Weng Kun said yesterday he believed that sporting events could bring people from different places together while, at the same time, boosting the city’s economic growth.
“In the field of sport, more can be done. Apart from raising the standard of sport itself, sporting events can also be used to bring people from different places together and strengthen their friendship, as well as promoting more economic, cultural and sports benefits [to the city],” said Pun.
Answering questions from 29 lawmakers during a Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle last Tuesday, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng pledged that the local government remained committed to promoting the sustainable development of sport, emphasising the importance of promoting and supporting the development of international sporting events in Macau and fostering the synergistic development of the integrated tourism and leisure industry as well as sport. Ho also expressed his hopes that all sectors of society would join forces to promote the development of sport in Macau, jointly developing Macau as a “City of Spectacle” and “City of Sport”: “Nearly 20 major sporting events will be organised this year, with a view to increasing the number to 24, i.e., two major sporting events per month”.
Pun told the media after yesterday’s press conference about next month’s “five-a-side football friendly” at Grand Lisboa Palace Macau (GLP) in Cotai that efforts were being made to prepare for different major sporting events to be held in Macau, pointing out that this year’s sporting events are to be held one after another, hoping to further promote the development of Macau’s sport tourism.
According to Pun, the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship and SJM Macao International Dragon Boat Races are on the agenda, slated for next month and June respectively.
Pun reaffirmed yesterday that both the 72nd Macau Grand Prix and the 15th National Games will be held concurrently in November next year: “We are confident that both the National Games and the Grand Prix next year will be successfully held simultaneously”.
The 15th National Games will be held from November 9-21 next year, while the Macau Grand Prix is held annually in November.
Sports Bureau (ID) President Pun Weng Kun speaks to the media after yesterday’s press conference at Grand Lisboa Palace Macau (GLP) in Cotai.
– Photo: Rui Pastorin
