HK waiting for athletes' list in National Games race
Yeung Tak-keung expects the list of mainland athletes will be confirmed by early next month. File photo: RTHK
The Hong Kong official in charge of the coordinating office for the National Games on Monday said it is waiting for the mainland to decide which athletes will be sent to compete in the events that will be staged in the SAR so that it can refine the competition schedule.
Hong Kong will co-host its first National Games in November with Guangdong and Macau.
Of the 34 sporting events featured in the Games, eight, including basketball, fencing and golf, will be held here.
With less than 100 days to go, Yeung Tak-keung told an RTHK radio programme that his office will fine-tune its preparations.
"The mainland has to hold trial or qualifying competitions to determine the list of teams and athletes who will come to Hong Kong to compete," he said.
"Once there is a list, groupings will be carried out, and then the competition schedule will be refined, for example, to decide when to carry out the preliminary rounds, which teams will play against each other, etc.
"These details are very important for us in organising the competitions."
He expects the list will be ready by early next month.
By then, Yeung said, his office can arrange accommodation and transport for the athletes.
He also said that tens of thousands of volunteers will be assigned to carry out on-site trainings in the next three months.
Yeung added final testing for ticket sales is under way and that an announcement will be made "very soon".
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