In his 2024 Policy Address, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng made it clear that he is committed to transforming Macau into a “City of Sports”, but the findings of a recent survey show that less than half of its 1,019 respondents consider the number of Macau’s sports venues to be sufficient.
The Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (UGAMM – commonly known as Kai Fong) conducted a street survey on July 7 when 1,019 valid questionnaires were collected from local residents aged 16 or above, aiming to gauge their sports activities in the past three months, compare their current and post-pandemic physical fitness, and to assess their expectations about the 2025 National Games and their views about the government’s ongoing “tourism + sports” development, as well as their opinions on health care and the use of health supplements.
The findings of the survey were released during a press conference yesterday at the UGAMM headquarters on Avenida do General Castelo Branco.
Of the 1,019 respondents, according to the findings, 61.14 percent were females. Among them, 37.10 percent were in employment, followed by students accounting for 43.08 percent and housewives for 7.65 percent.
The results of the survey show that when asked about their physical exercise in the past three months, 700, or 68.69 percent, said they had engaged in physical exercise in the past three months, while 319, or 31.31 percent, said they had not.
For health and well-being, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that adults should do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, but the findings of the UGAMM survey show that of the 700 respondents who indicated that they had exercised in the past three months, only 208, or 29.71 percent, said that they usually engage in 60-149 minutes of aerobic activity a week, with 137, or 19.57 percent, indicating 150-239 minutes, and 94, or 13.43 percent, indicating 240-329 minutes.
When asked whether there are enough sports venues in Macau, according to the findings, 69, or 6.77 percent said “more than enough”, 354, or 34.74 percent said “enough”, 363, or 35.62 percent, said “so so”, 171, or 16.78 percent said “insufficient”, and 62, or 6.08 percent indicated “very insufficient”.
In this regard, the findings show, that more than 600 of the respondents were in favour of building a municipal sports park at the former greyhound racetrack (Yat Yuen Canidrome).
In order to better promote sport among the public and implement the government’s “Healthy Macau Blueprint”, Kai Fong representatives urged the government during yesterday’s press conference to expedite the construction of a municipal sports park, complete resident-focused projects such as the green promenade in Zape, and continue optimising existing facilities while increasing relevant supporting facilities and spaces to meet the needs of the community.
The representatives also urged the government to do a better job of publicising how to ensure safety when introducing high-intensity sport that requires more protection or attention, especially high-risk sports such as extreme sports, while it is promoting public sports.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced late last year in a statement its plan to build a municipal sports park at the site of the now defunct Yat Yuen Canidrome and still operating Lin Fong Sports Centre with a total area of about 40,000 square metres, with the aim of integrating sport with residents’ daily leisure activities and promoting their physical and mental health.
According to the bureau’s conceptual plan, the park will be divided into three main buildings, a standard athletics field, a three-dimensional walking and sitting-out system, and a number of urban plazas according to their specific functions, in which a four-storey pavilion will be equipped with a skateboarding park, table-tennis area, rock-climbing walls, volleyball and badminton courts, while ball games will be located in the north-west corner of the pavilion and a five-a-side football pitch on the ground floor, which can also serve as a large-scale activity venue.
Only 35 pct of respondents know Macau to host National Games in 2025
Meanwhile, the findings of the survey also show that only 35.8 percent of the respondents knew that Macau is going to co-host the National Games in November 2025, and only 39 percent of the respondents said that they would watch the Macau segments of the event.
As one of the keys to building a “Sports City”, the representatives said, the government should continue to encourage the community to organise different types of sporting activities to further strengthen Macau’s mass sports culture, combined with comprehensive training for volunteers, in order to better prepare for the National Games.
The competitions to be held in Macau comprise table tennis, women‘s volleyball, 3x3 basketball and under-18 men’s basketball, as well as karate. The 2025 National Games will be co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, the first time that the competition will be held by more than one host and involve the two special administrative regions (SARs).
A senior citizen has his regular workout at a sitting-out area in Toi San district yesterday. – Photo: Yuki Lei
Three Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (UGAMM) representatives pose during yesterday’s press conference about their recent sports-related survey, at the UGAMM headquarters on Avenida do General Castelo Branco. – Photo: Yuki Lei
