The Digital Policy Office (DPO) yesterday, on the occasion of 90 days before the 15th National Games (NG), reported to Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong on the preparatory work for the information technology (IT) infrastructure of the Hong Kong competition region for the 15th NG, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games.

With the goal of achieving “zero cybersecurity risk and zero interruption to the operation of events”, the DPO stressed that it will fully support the secure and stable operation of the relevant information systems, ensuring the smooth operation of the games.

It also emphasised that it has been providing IT support to the National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) in planning and building the core IT systems and network infrastructure.

Starting from August, the DPO will launch multiple rounds of joint system testing and live exercises with its Guangdong and Macau counterparts to ensure seamless system connectivity, smooth network operation and steady data flow across the three places.

Additionally, it will enhance cross-boundary co-ordination and emergency response capabilities in system operations and cybersecurity.

After Prof Sun was briefed on the progress in system development, cybersecurity protection and contingency exercises during a meeting with the DPO, he pointed out that the application of innovation and technology is key to raising the operational standards of large-scale sports events in the face of increasingly severe cybersecurity challenges.

Moreover, he encouraged the team to press ahead with the goal, in particular refining various contingency plans, to provide stable, efficient and secure technical support to the games.

Commissioner for Digital Policy Tony Wong said that drawing on the experiences of the Asian Games and the Asian Winter Games, the IT infrastructure adopts the principle of “respond instantly, recover rapidly” and combines multi-layered cybersecurity protection and monitoring with a comprehensive contingency plan to ensure zero interruption to the games.

The development of the relevant IT systems was completed in June, and work including high-intensity stress tests, security tests, red team exercises and emergency response drills is underway to ensure the safe and smooth operation of the systems, he added.