The General Administration of Sport of China; the People’s Government of Guangdong Province; the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government; and the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government, jointly signed on 21 November an agreement to strengthen cooperation in sport, and promotion of integrated development.
The four-party agreement is a document marking a significant outcome of the in-depth experience drawn from the joint hosting, by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, of the 15th National Games of the People’s Republic of China. The agreement represents a practical exploration of the further leveraging of the unique functions and diverse values of sport, so that it is better able to serve the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the “One country, two systems” principle.
The signing of the agreement will comprehensively enhance exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese mainland, the HKSAR, and the MSAR, under various headings. These include elite sports, mass sports, the sport industry, youth sports, international sport governance, sport science and technology, sport culture, and sports legal frameworks.
By encouraging the Greater Bay Area to take the lead in piloting innovative work, the agreement aims to achieve sharing of resources, joint use of facilities, co-hosting of events, collaborative talent development, shared industrial prosperity, co-creation of technological advancements, and mutual improvement in standards. This will promote deeper integration of sport activity across the three regions at a higher level, across broader areas, and from a more comprehensive perspective, in service of the nation’s overall strategic goals.
Macao will work closely with Guangdong and Hong Kong, under the guidance of the General Administration of Sport of China, in order fully to implement the agreement's provisions, and to support strongly the development of sports initiatives and industrial collaboration. Macao will seize this opportunity to: use sport events as a connecting force; further deepening coordination and synergy on culture- and sport-related matters with Guangdong and Hong Kong; achieve closer regional cooperation; build a more dynamic industrial ecosystem; and promote deeper cultural affinity.