City to stage eight sports for National Games
Chief Executive John Lee says organisation aims to be ‘simple, safe and wonderful’
Hong Kong will mark its unprecedented role as a co-host of the National Games next year by staging eight sports including fencing and track cycling, among the city’s strongest codes.
The announcement was made yesterday after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu led a government delegation to neighbouring Guangzhou for the inaugural meeting of the 15th National Games Organising Committee, of which he is executive chairman.
“The [Hong Kong] government will adhere to the principle of ‘simple, safe and wonderful’ in organising the Games, making full use of existing venues and the soon-to-be-completed Kai Tak Sports Park,” Lee said.
He added that the triathlon races would be held in Victoria Harbour and on the Central Harbourfront, showcasing Hong Kong’s picturesque landscape and unique characteristics to the whole nation.
The Games, the nation’s highest-level and the largest multisports showcase, will be held from November 9 to 21 next year.
Hong Kong will host the fencing, track cycling, rugby sevens, golf, triathlon, beach volleyball, men’s handball and under-22 men’s basketball.
Bowling will also be held as a mass participation event, which will allow the local community to actively participate in the Games.
The new Kai Tak Sports Park – which will have a 50,000-seat stadium, a 10,000-seat indoor centre and a 5 000-seat public sports ground and is expected to open next year – will host the handball, rugby sevens and fencing competitions.
Other events will be distributed across the city. The Hong Kong Coliseum will be used for basketball, the velodrome at Tseung Kwan O will be the venue for track cycling, Victoria Park will be the scene for beach volleyball, while the golf event will be held at the Fanling course.
Lee said co-hosting the National Games and Paralympic Games would be an excellent opportunity for Hong Kong to demonstrate its capability over running large-scale sports events.
He said the government attached great importance to preparations for the Games and would spare no effort in dovetailing with the requirements of the General Administration of Sport of China and maintain close contact with Guangdong and Macau authorities.
The National Games will kick off with an opening ceremony in Guangzhou and conclude with a closing ceremony in Shenzhen.
In addition to the National Games, Hong Kong will also host several events as part of the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG). They will be held from December 8 to 15 next year.
These events will include boccia, wheelchair fencing, para table tennis (TT11) under the NGD, and table tennis under the NSOG.
A mass participation event, para dance sport, will also be organised during these special Games.