The Macau segment of the upcoming 2025 National Games will take place on November 7-20 – and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam said at a press conference yesterday that “we will fully utilise the opportunity of hosting the National Games to launch patriotic education and publicity activities to stimulate patriotic fervour in the community”.
The 15th National Games, co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, will kick off on November 9 in Guangzhou and conclude on November 21 in Shenzhen. Among the 19 competition events, five will be hosted by Macau, comprising Table Tennis, Men’s U18 3-a-side Basketball and U18 5-a-side Basketball, Women’s Volleyball, and Karate. The Cycling Road Men’s Individual Time Trial will be the only event co-organised by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, spanning across the three regions via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB).
According to yesterday’s press conference at the Macau Science Centre in Nape, the schedule for Macau’s competition events is as follows: Table Tennis at Galaxy Arena in Cotai on November 7-20; 3-a-side Basketball at Wynn Palace on November 12-15; 5-a-side Basketball at City of Dreams in Cotai and Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion’s Pavilion A in the Macau peninsula on November 10-18; Volleyball at The Venetian Arena and Macau East Asian Games Dome’s Pavilion A in Cotai on November 7-19; and Karate at the Forum Macau (澳門綜藝館) in Zape on November 6-8. O noted that in line with the principle of “simplicity, safety and excitement”, the venue facilities will all be existing ones, with only essential enhancements and upgrades.
Heading the Macau Organising Committee for the 15th National Games as well as the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG), O announced yesterday that trial tests for the competition events will be held between April and June, aiming to ensure that all work is fully coordinated and in the best possible condition for the arrival of the three Games’ athletes.
According to the press conference, the trial run encompasses various areas, including staff movement, competition logistics, network systems, volunteer services, award ceremonies, and staff reception. O added that the registration of volunteers will reopen from March 6 to 10, encouraging enthusiasts to take part and contribute to the Games.
“Macau’s participation in hosting the National Games for the first time signifies the nation’s trust and support for Macau and holds far-reaching significance for the city’s sports and socio-economic development…We will fully leverage the radiation effect of this sports event to appropriately diversify the city’s economy and better integrate into the overall situation of the nation’s development,” O said, adding she hoped that society as a whole would recognise the importance of the social functions of sports through the National Games.
Describing the National Games as “a vivid lesson in patriotism”, O said that since its inception in 1959, the event has witnessed the transformation of the nation’s sports industry from weak to strong, reflecting the historical progress of Chinese-style modernisation.
Trial run to take place in April-June, Pun says ‘almost 100 percent’ aligned
Speaking to the media after the press conference, Pun Weng Kun, coordinator of the preparatory office for the organisation of the three National Games in Macau, said that preparations for the competitions in Macau have entered the countdown stage, adding that the setup was already “almost 100 percent” aligned with the National Games model.
According to Pun, a raft of test runs will be held between April and June, covering the network system, timing and scoring as well as the volunteer coordination, to be followed by tests for table tennis, basketball, volleyball, and karate. He said: “We will review what needs to be improved or whether there are any inadequacies after the tests, and under the guidance of the General Administration of Sport, we will improve them one by one.”
The trial run for table tennis will take place in April, in which, according to Pun, “audience participation is indeed a crucial aspect of the tests”.
In terms of venues, Pun admitted that not all test events will take place in the same locations as the main event, with the possibility that some individual events held at Forum Macau will be changed to the Macau East Asian Games Dome, and vice versa. However, he expressed confidence that the test runs, as well as the main events, would be conducted smoothly across all areas.
Additionally, Pun noted that the event director of the General Administration of Sport and the organising committee from Guangdong Province have recently visited Macau and were “very satisfied” with the venues: “Everyone appreciates Macau’s venues”.
When asked about ticketing, Pan said that Guangdong Province was responsible for the ticketing process, and that the tendering process was currently underway. He also said that the Macau organising committee aims to give local residents priority in purchasing tickets while also seeking to attract more tourists and sports fans to Macau.
Meanwhile, the two NGD and NSOG badminton events will be held on December 9-14 at the Macau East Asian Games Dome’s Pavilion A and Forum Macau, respectively.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam delivers a speech during yesterday’s press conference about the upcoming 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG), at the Macau Science Centre in Nape. – Photo: Yuki Lei
Pun Weng Kun, coordinator of the preparatory office for the organisation of 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG) in Macau, poses after speaking to the media yesterday at the Macau Science Centre in Nape. – Photo: Yuki Lei
