Vice President of the Organising Committee of the 15th National Games (NG) and Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki today attended a press conference on preparations for the games held by the Organising Committee of the 15th NG in Guangzhou, along with officials from the General Administration of Sport of China, Guangdong Province and the Macau Special Administrative Region.

Mr Chan said at the press conference that the NG this year is of extraordinary significance as it is being jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau for the first time.

It fully reflects the country's high level of trust and expectations for Hong Kong, and demonstrates the enormous potential and promising prospects of co-ordinated sports development in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), injecting new momentum and energy into developments in the bay area and facilitating high-quality regional development, he added.

Mr Chan also noted that the 15th NG is the largest NG in history, with an expected nearly 4,000 people in total participating in the games in Hong Kong, including over 2,100 athletes and more than 1,800 officials and technical officials.

He said that hundreds of media representatives will also come to Hong Kong to cover the games and that the games will attract a large number of visitors to the city, experiencing its charm and passion for sports.

By organising the NG, Hong Kong showcases its capability to organise large-scale competitions, further solidifying its reputation as an international capital of mega events, laying a solid foundation for attracting more premier sports events to be held here in the future, Mr Chan said.

In addition, organising large-scale sports events will leverage the synergistic effect to drive the development of tourism, hotel, retail, and food and beverage industries. As more tourists from the Mainland and overseas are attracted to Hong Kong to enjoy the games and visit other GBA cities, it brings long-term benefits to the tourism trade and creates more collaboration opportunities in the bay area, he added.

Regarding the cross-boundary road cycling event, Mr Chan said: “As the first-ever cross-boundary event in the history of the NG, it highlights the unique feature of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau cohosting the games.

“To ensure the event’s smooth implementation, the three places have maintained close liaison to create a smooth and convenient cross-border clearance experience through advanced technologies and effective collaboration mechanisms, achieving the goal of 'contactless clearance'.”

An innovative mode of “pre-entry clearance and closed-loop management” is adopted for the event, conducting advance identity verification of relevant personnel to facilitate their entry to the closed-loop area and immigration clearance.

During the event, athletes will wear wristbands with a global positioning system and radio frequency identification equipment. Live broadcast monitoring and drone inspection systems are equipped along the race course to keep track of the movements and locations of all participants.

In addition, athletes and equipment vehicles are bound with magnetic chips, allowing efficient transmission of clearance information, delivering a “contactless clearance” with zero delay, zero waiting time, and uninterrupted passage without stopping.

The Chief Secretary said that throughout the preparation and organisation process, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau have maintained close communication, including visits to cross-boundary routes and co-ordination among relevant departments and units for several working meetings.

The governments of the three places have engaged in substantial and meticulous co-ordination across various areas such as managing road closures, implementing measures at control points, ensuring closed-loop arrangements during the events, providing motorcade escorts, “contactless clearance”, and preventing race convoys and athletes from deviating off course.

He noted that such cross-boundary collaboration mode not only ensures the smooth execution of the event but also fosters people-to-people exchanges in the GBA, deepens regional co-operation mechanisms, and enhances the bay area's overall capabilities in holding large-scale competitions, and lays a solid foundation for future co-operation in the GBA.

“By hosting the 15th NG, Hong Kong and other GBA cities can build closer sports partnerships, break down geographical boundaries, achieve resource sharing and complementary advantages, and jointly advance the sports industry development of the GBA.

“This will attract more large-scale international sports events to Hong Kong and the GBA, continuously enhancing the region's global influence and sports competitiveness.”

Other officials attending the press conference included Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China Mr Li Jing, Vice President of the Organising Committee of the 15th NG and Standing Committee member of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee Wang Xi; Mr Chan, and Vice President of the Organising Committee of the 15th NG and Secretary for Social Affairs & Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government O Lam.