With China’s 15th National Games set for November, Hong Kong’s preparations are well under way. From Kai Tak Sports Park cutting its teeth on international events to the mobilisation of 15,000 local volunteers with training and test events, the city’s preparations signal that the Games are more than a sporting event. It is a platform for rethinking how Hong Kong engages with its Greater Bay Area neighbours, the city’s youth and the nation as a whole.
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This year marks the first time that Hong Kong, together with Guangdong and Macau, will co-host the Games. It’s a powerful step forward for the Greater Bay Area, not just in sports cooperation, but in soft power and civic connection. It is already shaping new experiences for Hong Kong’s next generation, from students and athletes to volunteers.
At the heart of this effort is the HK$30 billion (US$3.82 billion) Kai Tak Sports Park, officially opened in March. Hong Kong’s largest-ever sports infrastructure investment features a 50,000-seat main stadium, a 10,000-seat arena and a 5,000-seat community sports ground. Since opening, it has hosted major events including the World Snooker Grand Prix and Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament, which broke attendance records with over 130,000 tickets sold.
These are just the start. With Kai Tak Sports Park expected to look at hosting more than 100 large-scale events annually to remain commercially viable, the National Games will be an anchor event. Beyond headline numbers, the Games will offer something more enduring: a test of whether Hong Kong can be a regional convenor, not just a competitor.
Hong Kong will host eight events in the Games; in all, around 150,000 visitors, including athletes, coaches, spectators and the media, are expected. Based on earlier government estimates that various mega-events in the first half of the year would attract around 840,000 visitors to Hong Kong and generate some HK$3.3 billion in consumption expenditure, the National Games could generate around HK$600 million in visitor spending, and probably more.
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The impact will not just be economic, but cultural as well. The 15,000 local volunteers are not only being trained in event logistics but also exposed to systems-level thinking, sustainability and problem-solving. These are skills that go a long way in Hong Kong’s events economy.