Get ready to feel the roar of wheels and cheers across borders! China’s 15th National Games – the first ever to be co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao – kicks off on November 9 and runs through the 21st, rewriting the playbook for cross-border sports in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area 🚴🏃.
Li Jing from the organizing committee says it’s 'a mix of sticking to proven principles and bold innovation' because there was no precedent to follow. The team has rolled out seamless customs clearance lanes for athletes and equipment, tackling the usual headaches of moving people, gear and info across three different administrative systems.
Key innovations include:
- Dedicated customs lanes for sports gear
- Streamlined clearance for fencing swords, racing bicycles and triathlon bikes used by Chinese mainland athletes as personal luggage
- Improved emergency coordination protocols across regions
And that’s not all. For the first time, athletes will race a men’s road cycling route linking all three regions via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and a marathon will wind through Shenzhen into Hong Kong. It’s like a K-pop supergroup doing a surprise collab across three mega-stages 🔥.
Officials say these cross-border events showcase One Country, Two Systems in action, boost interconnectivity, drive coordinated development, and give everyone a taste of the Greater Bay Area’s unique strengths.
Whether you’re a sports fan, an investor eyeing market integration, or part of the Asian diaspora craving a taste of home, this National Games is setting a new benchmark for regional cooperation.
Reference(s):
China's National Games boosts connectivity across GBA, say officials
cgtn.com
