The 15th National Games (NG) of the People's Republic of China "The China Telecom Trophy" Athletics (Marathon) Competition will take place on November 15. The event will be the first cross-boundary marathon in the history of the NG, spanning Hong Kong and Shenzhen utilising the Shenzhen Bay Bridge as the track. The entire track is 42.195 kilometres long, of which the section in Hong Kong is 21.85 km. Starting from the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, participants will enter Hong Kong via the Shenzhen Bay Port, run along the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and Kong Sham Western Highway Viaduct, then return to the Shenzhen Bay Port through the same route, and finally finish at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center. 

     The event includes men's and women's races, with the participation of 69 athletes consisting of 36 male athletes and 33 female athletes. Among them, two male athletes and three female athletes are from Hong Kong. The men's group will start at 7am and the women's group at 7.30am. The athletes will enter the Hong Kong section after completing approximately 2 km of the race route. Both groups are expected to spend around two hours in the Hong Kong section. As part of the track is within the Frontier Closed Area, no public viewing zone will be set up in Hong Kong in order to ensure the event runs smoothly and is well managed. Members of the public can watch the broadcast on television.
 
　　To facilitate the smooth running of the race, clearance services of the Shenzhen Bay Port (including all passenger and cargo clearance services) will be suspended during part of the morning on the event day, while temporary control measures will be implemented on the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and other related roads. Members of the public and visitors should pay attention to the following key points:

　  Arrival and departure clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay Port will be suspended from 2am to 11am on the event day. Passengers and vehicles will also be prohibited from entering the port. Meanwhile, temporary control measures will be implemented on the Shenzhen Bay Bridge, the Kong Sham Western Highway and Ha Tsuen Interchange. During the temporary control period, the Shenzhen Bay Bridge, the Kong Sham Western Highway and Ha Tsuen Interchange will be closed to all vehicular traffic from eastbound and westbound of Yuen Long Highway and Ha Tsuen Road.
 
　  Cross-boundary vehicles (including good vehicles, passenger vehicles and private cars) with valid closed road permits for the Shenzhen Bay Port may choose to use the the Lok Ma Chau (Huanggang), Heung Yuen Wai and Man Kam To boundary control points (BCP) according to the operating hours of the relevant control points during the suspension of arrival and departure clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay Port on the event day. The above special arrangements will cease upon the reopening of the Shenzhen Bay Port.
 
　   Cross-boundary coach services running between Hong Kong and the Mainland via the Shenzhen Bay Port as well as local public transport services serving the Shenzhen Bay Port, including franchised buses, green minibuses (GMB), urban and New Territories taxis, will be suspended during the aforementioned period. The bus companies and GMB operators will display notices at en-route stops of the affected routes and company websites to inform affected passengers. Travellers should choose other control points to Shenzhen.
 
　　During the suspension of the Shenzhen Bay Port arrival and departure services, the TD expects the roads leading to the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang, Man Kam To and Heung Yuen Wai BCPs, including San Tin Interchange, San Sham Road and Lok Ma Chau Road, will be busy with traffic. Therefore, the TD appeals to cross-boundary private cars and other drivers to avoid driving to the above districts during the relevant hours. Depending on the prevailing traffic conditions in the area, the Police will deploy appropriate manpower and implement corresponding crowd management measures or special traffic arrangements at the affected control points and relevant road sections. In case of traffic congestion, please exercise tolerance and patience and drive carefully, and follow the instructions of the Police on site. 

     For details of the special traffic and transport arrangements for the race, please refer to the TD Notice: www.td.gov.hk/en/traffic_notices/index_id_83680.html.
 
     The National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) (NGCO) has liaised with relevant government departments and organisations to disseminate information on the relevant BCPs clearance services and transportation arrangements to be implemented for the event to the public, travellers and stakeholders through various channels, including:
 
     The TD will liaise with public transport operators to suitably adjust the services to cater for passenger demand, and issue transport departmental notice of the traffic and transport arrangements for the event and appeal for cross-boundary and local travellers and members of the public via various channels to take heed of arrangements for various public transport travelling to and from the Shenzhen Bay Port and plan their journeys early, including the HKeMobility mobile application, variable messages signs at strategic roads and tunnels, public announcement at MTR stations, Agent T Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AgentT.hk).

     The Marine Department has liaised with cross-boundary ferry operators, with a view to working out manpower and sailing schedule arrangements for ferry services to and from Shekou, Shenzhen, in advance.
 
      The Home Affairs Department has disseminated the relevant message through the district network (including District Councils, Area Committees and District Committees, Youth Committees, as well as District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams)). That includes distributing leaflets in some of the affected areas so that residents could be informed of the special transportation arrangements for the day of the event and thus plan and adjust their travel accordingly. On the day of the event, the Care Teams will deploy staff to inspect the affected districts, and provide appropriate assistance to members of the public in need (e.g. providing information on public transport arrangements and responding to enquiries).
 
      Hong Kong Customs has informed the transport trades of the traffic arrangements on that day and to use other land BCPs as far as possible for entry and exit. Customs has also posted notices at the clearance facilities of the Hong Kong Port and informed the public through its website (www.customs.gov.hk/en/home/index.html) and social media platform.
 
      The Immigration Department (ImmD) will update the situation of the control points in real time through its mobile application on the event day. Travellers are advised to check the waiting time situation of the Shenzhen Bay Control Point and other land BCPs through the ImmD's mobile application before travelling to make better planning for their itinerary and minimise waiting time.

      The Police will also remind the public of the temporary traffic control arrangements through its social media platform (www.facebook.com/HongKongPoliceForce).

      The Tourism Commission (TC) has informed the hotel sector through their trade associations to remind their guests of the special transportation arrangements. The TC has also informed licensed travel agents through the Travel Industry Authority and the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong to avoid bringing tour groups across the Shenzhen Bay Bridge on the event day. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has also notified its trade partners and disseminated the relevant information on its website (www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/index.html) to facilitate visitors' itinerary planning.

      A spokesperson for the NGCO said as the NG is the country's highest-level event, this marathon event has to meet stringent requirements in terms of the selection of race course and the organisational arrangements to ensure the safety of athletes. Relevant departments will work together to facilitate the special traffic and transportation arrangements to minimise the impact on the public and travellers who usually use the Shenzhen Bay Port. The spokesperson thanked members of the public and travellers for their understanding, as well as the contributions of various organisations and departments to implementing the relevant arrangements.

Ends/Friday, November 14, 2025
Issued at HKT 19:14

NNNN