The flame-lighting ceremony of the 15th National Games (NG), the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG) was held in Nansha, Guangzhou, today.

Chief Executive John Lee lit the flame of the 15th NG, the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, while Vice President & Secretary-General of the Organising Committee of the 15th NG, the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG and Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki received the flame of the Games.

Staged at a port in Nansha, Guangzhou, the flame-lighting ceremony was officiated by Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee Huang Kunming; President of the Organising Committee of the 15th NG and Director of the General Administration of Sport of China Gao Zhidan; Executive President of the Organising Committee of the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG and Director of the Executive Council of the China Disabled Persons' Federation Zhou Changkui; Executive President of the Organising Committees of the 15th NG, the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG and Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Mr Lee; Executive President of the Organising Committees of the 15th NG, the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG and Macao SAR Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai; and the Executive President of the Organising Committees of the 15th NG, the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee Meng Fanli.

All officiating guests received the torches and lit the flame of the 15th NG, the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG together. Subsequently, representatives of the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau received the flames.

The "source flame" of the 15th NG, the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG was extracted and ignited from combustible ice and associated gas collected earlier by the Haima, a remotely operated underwater vehicle, from the northern South China Sea, via electricity generated from solar power to achieve deep-sea ignition. Upon completion of the ceremony, torch relays for the 15th NG will be held in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou and Shenzhen next month.

The flame lantern of the 15th NG, the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG, which is called "Starfire Building Dreams", has three pillars inside representing Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. Named "Blossom", the torch embodies the core design philosophy of "fusion" and "glory". On the one hand, the torch symbolises "exchange and integration", demonstrating the special Lingnan culture of "three places, one family" and "same roots, same blood connections", on the other hand, it signifies "shared prosperity" and manifests the development path of unity and collaboration of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau under the advantages of the principle of "one country, two systems". As for the flame cauldron, it has been named "Ding Sheng Tong Xin".