With only a month remaining until the 15th National Games, a flame lighting ceremony took place on Thursday (Oct 9) in Nansha, Guangzhou.
Senior officials from the three host regions attended the ceremony, including the head of the General Administration of Sport of China Gao Zhidan, Guangdong Party Secretary Huang Kunming, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, and Macau Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai.
Lee lit the torch on behalf of Hong Kong at the ceremony, and Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki will later receive the flame of the games.
Lee said the source of the flame was extracted and ignited from combustible ice lying over 1,520 meters beneath the surface of the South China Sea in September by the Chinese ocean drilling vessel Mengxiang.
Guangdong Deputy Party Secretary Meng Fanli described the high-tech extraction process as "a fusion of advanced marine science and sports culture," promising to create a lasting "Bay Area memory" for the National Games.
As excitement builds for the upcoming events, the torch relay is set to begin next month, traveling through Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
The 15th National Games, jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, will be held from November 9 to 21, followed by the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games from December 8 to 15.
