The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, attends the closing ceremony of the 14th National Games of China, held in Xi'an city, Shaanxi Province.
The Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Mr Ho Iat Seng, received the flag of the National Games of China, as a symbol of Macao’s co-hosting role for the 15th edition of the sporting event, in 2025.
The flag-handover ceremony was held at the closing of the 14th National Games on Monday (27 September), in Xi’an city, Shaanxi Province. Macao, along with Guangdong and Hong Kong, will jointly organise and host the coming 15th edition. Also attending Monday’s flag-handover ceremony were the Governor of Guangdong, Mr Ma Xingrui, and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
Mr Ho congratulated the Macao team attending the 14th National Games in Shaanxi, for gaining the first medal to be awarded to the Macao SAR in any National Games. Such a breakthrough achievement marked a new page in the development of sport in the city. He expressed his great respect for all the Macao athletes, for having demonstrated their competitive spirit and having endeavoured respectively to improve their personal performance.
The Chief Executive continued by urging the Macao athletes to hone their skills, and do their best in their preparatory work over the next four years, in order to strive to create new records for Macao, and to contribute to the country’s effort to be a leading power in sport.
Co-organising the 15th National Games enabled Macao to take part in the highest-level and largest in scale, domestic sporting games in the country, said Mr Ho. Macao will work closely with Guangdong and Hong Kong, to organise the 2025 event under the strict principles of “simplicity, safety and brilliance”.
The National Games is organised by the General Administration of Sport. The quadrennial multi-sport event is the highest-level and largest in scale, domestic sporting games in the country. As announced by the State Council on 26 August, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao will co-organise the 15th edition. It is the first time several places have organised a single edition of the National Games, and the first time for Macao to be involved in the organisation of the event.
Macao sent a 154-strong delegation to Shaanxi for the Games. Macao athletes took part in an aggregate of 17 events, including: water sports (i.e., swimming, synchronised swimming, and diving); cycling (i.e., road and track); triathlon; beach volleyball; table tennis; badminton; tennis; karate-do; judo; taekwondo; fencing; boxing; wushu (taolu and sanda formats); shooting; canoeing; and sailing (i.e., RS:X windsurfing, and Laser-class dinghy).
Macao athlete Kuok Kin Hang claimed a bronze in the men's kata (routine) event. It was the first medal won by a Macao athlete in any edition of the National Games.
