The National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the Special Olympics will open in two weeks, and Hong Kong officials say the city is fully prepared to host four competition events.
Running from December 8 to 15, the Games will see Hong Kong serve as the host city for four disciplines including boccia, wheelchair fencing, and table tennis.
Yeung Tak-keung, Head of the National Games Coordination Office, said on a radio program on Tuesday morning that preparations have been completed, with venues upgraded for barrier-free access.
He added that test events for athletes with disabilities were successfully held earlier, and feedback from participating athletes has been positive.
Yeung also outlined the ticketing arrangements, noting that passes will be sold on a “multi-day event basis,” meaning each ticket will grant access to all competition days for a selected sport.
“Half of the tickets will be sold to the public and the other half reserved for subsidized organizations,” he said, adding that allocations may be adjusted depending on demand. About 1,000 tickets have been sold since last week, which Yeung described as “a good response.”
The government will stage a torch relay this Saturday, beginning at 9.30am at the Central Government Offices in Tamar and ending at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground. Yeung said the route is similar to the one used for the National Games torch relay, but modifications were made to accommodate participants with disabilities. A sloped section was removed and replaced with a flat route “to encourage more people to take part.”
Reflecting on the recently concluded National Games events held in Hong Kong last week, Yeung said local athletes performed strongly and spectators showed high levels of engagement, creating what he called an “international-level atmosphere.”
He expressed hope that Hong Kong can continue to attract and host more major sports competitions in the future.
