The National Games will take place in three distinct locations for the first time. From a distance, we anticipate what you already know will happen in the 34 competitive sports and 23 mass sports activities scheduled between the November 9 and 21
Macau Business | June 2024 | Special Report | One year to the National Games
Macau
Macau will host four competitive sports events: table tennis, women’s volleyball, 3×3 basketball, and men’s under-18 basketball, as well as one mass-participation event in karate.
The Macau Government has not yet announced the exact locations where the events will take place, but the Sports Bureau (ID) said last year that it will strictly follow the requirement of ‘Simple, Safe and Remarkable’ by using existing sporting venues without building any new ones for the Games. The Macau East Asian Games Dome will serve as one of the competition venues for the upcoming Games, ID revealed to Macau Business.
2019 saw the completion of the MOP1.8 billion (US$222.9 million) new Athletes Training and Development Centre in Cotai, which occupies 12,614 square metres and includes two multi-sport pavilions, an 11-story residential building with 171 guest rooms, and a parking silo for tourist buses.
Macau authorities issued a call for 10,000 volunteers to assist the organization. As of February 2024, more than 9,000 people had registered to participate.
There was a plan to hold either two or up to three test events this year to ensure the best conditions for welcoming the National Games.
A curiosity: the Grand Prix weekend of the first year will coincide with the National Games. According to Pun Weng Kun, the president of the ID, “the day was for car racing, while the night was for the games.”
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is set to host eight competitive sports events: fencing, track cycling, rugby sevens, golf, triathlon, beach volleyball, men’s handball, and men’s U22 basketball, as well as one mass participation event, bowling.
The soon-to-be-completed Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) will host the main events held in Hong Kong, but the triathlon event will take place at the landmark Victoria Harbour and Central Harbourfront.
Occupying an area of about 28 hectares, the KTSP will provide modern and multi-purpose sports and recreation facilities upon completion, including a 50,000-seat main stadium, a 10,000-seat indoor sports centre, a 5,000-seat public sports ground, and about 14 hectares of landscaped open space and other ancillary facilities.
Guangdong
The opening ceremony will be held in Guangzhou, and Shenzhen wil host the closing.
Guangzhou will host 40 percent of the Games’ events in 25 venues.
The Yuexiu district of Guangzhou is expected to host several competitions, as it is listed as one of the nation’s sport industry model bases and boasts rich public sports infrastructure such as Ersha smart sport island.
The National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the National Special Olympic Games
In addition to the events related to the 15th National Games, there will be two other competitions the following month: the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG), also in the three regions.
From December 8 to 15, 2025, the 12th NGD and 9th NSOG will take place, spanning a total of eight days.
The NGD is a national multi-sport games featuring sports events under the International Paralympic Committee, while the NSOG encourages people with intellectual disabilities to participate in sports competitions.
It is known that Macau will host two badminton competition events for the 9th NSOG (physically disabled/deaf and intellectually disabled) and that Hong Kong will organise five NGD events (Boccia, wheelchair fencing, para table tennis, mass participation event Para Dance Sport) and one NSOG event, table tennis.
