Hong Kong’s sports chief, an Olympic gold medalist and industry insiders, on Thursday hailed the upcoming 15th National Games as a pivotal catalyst to merge sports, culture, and tourism into a new growth engine for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

With the opening of the National Games less than three weeks away, Rosanna Law Shuk-pui, secretary for culture, sports and tourism, likened preparations for the event to the final stages of a marathon during a dialogue session on Thursday, part of the Greater Bay Area Conference 2025.

She said that the special administrative region government has mobilized great resources to ensure the Games are safe and run smoothly, with a focus on delivering an “enjoyable experience”.

“We’ve been working very hard, and it’s about time for us to showcase our achievements to the nation”, Law added.

This year’s Games — scheduled from Nov 9 to 21 — will mark a first in the national multisport extravaganza’s history to be co-hosted by the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Guangdong province.

Out of 34 medal sports featured in the Games, Hong Kong has been entrusted with eight — fencing, men’s under-22 basketball, track cycling, golf, men’s handball, rugby sevens, triathlon, and beach volleyball — as well as two cross-border events – the marathon and road cycling – in collaboration with Macao and Guangdong.

Speakers shared their perspectives during the dialogue session themed “The National Games — Sports, Culture, and Shared Opportunities in the Greater Bay Area”.

They singled out the two cross-border events as a test of the region’s logistical coordination, saying that their successful execution will forge an invaluable “legacy”, proving the Greater Bay Area’s capacity to host future international sports spectacles.

During an upbeat talk Law said that overcoming these technical challenges will pave the way for more such cross-border activities in the future, injecting greater impetus into synergetic development within the Greater Bay Area.

Law detailed the significant economic benefits arising from mega-sized events, with the aims extending beyond entertainment to strategic economic drivers designed to attract residents and tourists alike, creating substantial employment opportunities, and generating big ticket sales.

Law said such events activate a vast commercial ecosystem creating “thousands of jobs” across sectors from security, logistics, to transport and catering, rendering them an “important element” of Hong Kong’s economy and a key mechanism for generating employment opportunities for a local workforce with diverse skill sets.

The session’s moderator, Patrick Lau Wing-chung, Hong Kong Baptist University’s chair of the Department of Sports and Health Sciences, said that thanks to Hong Kong’s strengths as an international financial and business center, its reputation for public safety, and its burgeoning innovation and technology sector, the city is poised to invest more deeply in becoming a dynamic hub for sports, culture, and tourism.

Ronald Chan Ngok-pang, head of mainland affairs (policy and stakeholders engagement) at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, described the Games as “a terrific catalyst”, “a very significant platform” for fostering innovative measures and institutional breakthroughs to streamline cross-boundary operations within the Greater Bay Area.

“It’s not easy to stage a large-scale sporting event across three different jurisdictions”, especially with the goal of attaining a high international standard, Chan said.

He pointed to the preparation for equestrian events in Shenzhen from Nov 10 to 19, citing collaborative efforts in stable management, equine warfare, veterinarian services and anti-doping.

A key move, he noted, involved ad-hoc policy levers to grant Hong Kong veterinarians special approval to work at Shenzhen’s equestrian venue for the Games and facilitate the cross-border transport of necessary pharmaceuticals.

Chan expressed hope that these innovative regional measures will continue long after the Games, benefiting a range of fields that exist beyond sport.

Speaking at the same dialogue session, Vivian Kong Man-wai — who made history in the women’s individual epee fencing event at the 2024 Paris Olympics when she secured Hong Kong’s third-ever Olympic gold medal — said the host city’s main goal is to make athletes “feel like they are at home”.

Ensuring that the city feels good to walk around, boasts “good food”, and cultivates an audience with a “passion for enjoying sports” is fundamental to creating a world-class athlete experience and a dynamic event vibe, Kong, who has since retired from fencing, said.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com