Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai says Macao is ready for the 15th National Games, having completed all preparatory work for the events being staged in the SAR.
He made the remarks yesterday, while inspecting the city’s seven competition venues and other supporting facilities, including athlete accommodation and the press centre.
The Games are being jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, with the opening ceremony scheduled for Sunday and the Games running until 21 November.
Although the Games have not been officially opened, competition is already underway, with karate events held at Macao Forum. Sam watched the karate men’s amateur mass participation bronze-medal match and the competition’s final match yesterday, presenting medals to the respective winners, including the Macao team, which took the SAR’s first gold in the Games.
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The Macao team consisted of Kuok Kin Hang, Fong Man Hou, and Cheang Pei Lok. The trio scored 42.7 points in the final to defeat the Hong Kong team, while Guangdong and Guizhou shared the bronze medals. “It’s such a joy to win this gold medal at home,” Kuok told the Xinhua news agency.
Macao will host a total of five sporting disciplines for the National Games and one sporting discipline for respectively the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games.
The venues and competitions are: Galaxy Arena for Table Tennis; the Venetian Arena for Volleyball (Adult Women); the Macao East Asian Games Dome for Volleyball (Adult Women) and for Badminton in the National Games for the Disabled; Studio City Event Center and Tap Seac Multi-sports Pavilion for Basketball (Men’s Under-18 Category); Wynn Palace outdoor lawn for 3×3 Basketball; and Macao Forum for National Games Karate events and for Badminton events for the National Special Olympics.
During his inspections yesterday, Sam expressed confidence that the coordination between all Macao Organising Committee members would ensure quality event delivery. He added that the successful organisation of Macao events for the Games had been a top-priority task for the local government this year.
