15th National Games highlights characteristics of Greater Bay Area

China's 15th National Games, the first cross-boundary edition of the event co-hosted by Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Macao SAR, wrapped up on Friday night.

This year's program featured 419 gold medal events for elite athletes and 166 for amateurs. Mass participation became a defining feature, with more than 11,000 amateur athletes - including schoolchildren, teachers, doctors and farmers – reaching the final stage of competition. Participants ranged in age from 8 to 81.

"At the 15th National Games, in recorded events such as track and field, swimming, shooting, weightlifting, track cycling and rock climbing, eight world records, five world junior records, 13 Asian records, 10 Asian junior records, 14 national records and seven national junior records were set," said Tong Lixin, deputy director of the organizing committee of 15th National Games." In 12 events, the championship results exceeded those of the Paris Olympics. It comprehensively showcases the achievements of China's competitive sports development."

Cross-boundary competitions in the men's road cycling race that went across the three competitions zones and the marathon that linked Shenzhen and the Hong Kong SAR, not only served as a sporting event, but also provided a moving example of joint development in the Greater Bay Area.

"The people of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao worked together in unison and shared the grand event," Tong added. "Fully demonstrating the institutional advantages of China in concentrating resources to accomplish major tasks, the new achievements of China's economic and social development, the new scene of accelerated integration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the new results of the reform and development of the sports industry, and the new look of sports people in the new era."