Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the 15th National Games open Sunday evening at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center, marking the first time the country’s premier multi-sport event has been jointly hosted by Guangdong Province and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.
The opening ceremony, attended by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry and IOC Honorary President for Life Thomas Bach, blended official proceedings with cultural performances, showcasing the vitality of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, one of China’s most open and economically dynamic regions.
“The ceremony was an amazing blend of culture, technology and sport,” Coventry said.
The Games’ torch relay emphasized collaboration and innovation. The flame originated from combustible ice collected 1,522 meters beneath the South China Sea.
The cauldron was lit jointly by the final torchbearers: Guangdong sprinter Su Bingtian, Hong Kong Olympic fencing champion Cheung Ka-long and Macao Asian Games wushu gold medalist Li Yi.
Running through November 21, the Games feature 419 gold-medal events in 34 competition sports for elite athletes, while 166 gold medals are on offer in 23 amateur and exhibition events. More than 20,000 athletes are set to compete in the final phase. Organizers said the expanded program aims to broaden participation.
Guangdong will host athletics, basketball, football and swimming competitions, while Hong Kong will stage fencing, golf and beach volleyball events. Macao will host table tennis, 3×3 basketball and women’s volleyball.
“The National Games, with 25,000 athletes across so many age groups, are unique and create a great sense of unity. China is a real power house in international sport,” Coventry noted.
Organizers called the co-hosting a milestone in the event’s 66-year history and a testament to the vitality of the “One Country, Two Systems” policy in sport.
First held in 1959, the National Games is China’s largest multi-sport event. Beijing hosted the first four editions and the seventh. Shanghai and Guangdong have each hosted twice, while Jiangsu, Shandong, Liaoning, Tianjin and Shaanxi have also served as hosts.