Editorial2025 National Games will boost integration
- With Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong tasked with hosting the event, it can only bode well for cementing ties in the Greater Bay Area
This will be the first time the two former colonies have hosted a major national sporting event, although both have established widely known credentials – Hong Kong through hosting the Rugby Sevens tournament and the equestrian competition of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and Macau with its annual street-circuit motor racing grand prix.
The State Council announcement did not come without strings, stipulating that the three local governments would shoulder most of the costs, and should make the best use of existing sports facilities and run tight budgets, although the central government would stand behind them with a certain amount of sponsorship.
For Hong Kong, the National Games will showcase the new HK$32 billion Kai Tak sports park, due for completion in 2023 with a 50,000-seat main stadium with retractable roof, a 10,000-seat indoor sports centre and a 5,000-seat public sports ground.
For Beijing, it is a chance to boost regional integration in a less political way, as it tightens control over the city following the 2019 anti-government protests and tries to foster a greater sense of national identity.
If prayers are answered, by the time the 15th National Games come around, the Covid-19 pandemic will have abated, normal life will have been resumed, the sports venues will be full of spectators and the Games will boost the return of mainland tourists. Then any gold medals Hong Kong competitors win would be a bonus.
The Kai Tak development represents a commendable government investment in sport participation and interaction with the wider community. It is worthy of, and deserves, the support of sports organisations and corporations in trying to bring major events to the city, which in turn will showcase the city’s wider cultural life.