Vice President of the Organising Committee of the 15th National Games (NG) and Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, attended a press conference on preparations for the 15th NG held by the Organising Committee of the 15th NG in Guangzhou today (November 8). Mr Chan, along with relevant officials from the General Administration of Sport of China, Guangdong Province and the Macao Special Administrative Region, introduced the progress of the preparations for the 15th NG.
 
     Addressing the press conference, Mr Chan said the NG this year is of extraordinary significance as it is jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao for the first time. It fully reflects the country's high level of trust and expectations for Hong Kong, and demonstrates the enormous potential and promising prospects of co-ordinated sports development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), injecting new momentum and energy into promoting developments in the GBA and facilitating high-quality regional development.
 
     On how the Games would promote Hong Kong's economic development and consolidate its status as a hub for international mega events, Mr Chan said that the 15th NG this year is the largest NG in history. It is expected that there will be nearly 4 000 people in total participating in the games in Hong Kong, including over 2 100 athletes and over 1 800 officials and technical officials. In addition, hundreds of media representatives will also come to Hong Kong to cover the games. Mr Chan said he believes that the games will attract a large number of visitors to watch the games in Hong Kong, experiencing the city's charm and passion for sports.

     Mr Chan said, "Through organising the NG, Hong Kong showcases the city's capability to organise large-scale competitions. It further solidifies Hong Kong's reputation as an international capital of mega events, laying a solid foundation for attracting more premier sports events to be held in Hong Kong in the future. In addition, organising large-scale sports events will leverage the 'sports plus tourism' synergistic effect to drive the development of tourism, hotel, retail, and food and beverage industries. As more tourists from the Mainland and overseas are attracted to Hong Kong to enjoy the games and visit other GBA cities, it brings long-term benefits to the tourism trade and creates more collaboration opportunities in the GBA."
 
     Regarding the arrangements of the cross-boundary road cycling event, Mr Chan said, "As the first-ever cross-boundary event in the history of the NG, it highlights the unique feature of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao cohosting the NG. To ensure the smooth implementation of the event, the three places have maintained close liaison to create a smooth and convenient cross-border clearance experience through advanced technologies and effective collaboration mechanisms, achieving the goal of 'contactless clearance'."
 
     He noted that an innovative mode of "pre-entry clearance and closed-loop management" is adopted for the event, conducting advance identity verification of relevant personnel, with a view to facilitating their entry to the closed-loop area and immigration clearance. During the event, athletes will wear wristbands with a global positioning system and equipment of radio frequency identification. Live broadcast monitoring and drone inspection systems will be equipped along the race course to keep track of the real-time movements and locations of all participants. In addition, athletes and equipment vehicles will be bound with magnetic chips, allowing efficient transmission of clearance information to the backend system, delivering a "contactless clearance" with zero delay, zero waiting time, and uninterrupted passage without stopping.
 
     He further stated that throughout the preparation and organisation process, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have maintained close communication. This includes visits to cross-boundary routes and co-ordination among relevant departments and units for several working meetings. The governments of the three places have engaged in substantial and meticulous co-ordination across various areas, such as managing road closures, implementing temporary control measures at control points, ensuring closed-loop arrangements throughout the events, providing motorcade escorts, "contactless clearance", and preventing race convoys and athletes from deviating off course. This cross-boundary collaboration mode not only ensures the smooth execution of the event but also fosters people-to-people exchanges in the GBA, deepens regional co-operation mechanisms, and enhances the GBA's overall capabilities comprehensively in holding large-scale competitions. It also provides practical opportunities and lays a solid foundation for future co-operation in the GBA.
 
     Mr Chan said, "By hosting the 15th NG, Hong Kong and other cities in the GBA can build closer sports partnerships, further break down geographical boundaries, achieve resource sharing and complementary advantages, and jointly advance the development of the sports industry of the GBA. This will attract more large-scale international sports events to Hong Kong and the GBA, continuously enhancing the region's global influence and sports competitiveness."
 
     Officials attending today's press conference included Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China Mr Li Jing; Vice President of the Organising Committee of the 15th NG and Standing Committee member of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Mr Wang Xi; Mr Chan; and Vice President of the Organising Committee of the 15th NG and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ms O Lam.

     Mr Chan will attend the second plenary meeting of the Organising Committee and the second meeting of heads of delegations tomorrow (November 9).

Ends/Saturday, November 8, 2025
Issued at HKT 18:07

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