Hong Kong sets up National Games coordination office

HONG KONG, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced on Tuesday the setting up of the National Games coordination office to fully take on the planning and implementation work of the Chinese 15th National Games in 2025.

The office will also take charge of the preparation for the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG).

The National Games, held once every four years, is the nation's highest-level and the largest national multi-sport event. It will be co-hosted in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

This is the first time for Hong Kong to be a co-host of the National Games. The three sides will also co-host the 12th NGD and the 9th NSOG, to be held after the 15th National Games.

In May 2023, the HKSAR government set up the Hong Kong organizing committee of China's 15th National Games to provide policy steer and oversee the preparation for events to be staged in Hong Kong.

To oversee and co-ordinate related operational work, a steering committee chaired by the permanent secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the HKSAR government with support from various coordinating committees will be set up in the fourth quarter of 2023 to carry out work in different areas including competitions, immigration, security and accreditation, media, publicity and community relations, medical services, and transport and traffic arrangements.