【明報專訊】THE NEXT NATIONAL GAMES OF CHINA will open in a year and a half, and the inauguration meeting of the organising committee was held last Thursday. For the first time ever, the Games will be co-organised by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, which is of great significance. If successful, not only will this serve as a model for cross-regional cooperation of the National Games, but will also open up greater collaboration opportunities between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in other fields.
The National Games is a grand occasion for the nation. Over 10,000 athletes will participate in the competition. There will be more than 6,000 officials from 31 provinces, cities and other delegations, more than 5,000 officials from the organising committee, and more than 4,000 referees and technical officials. Together they will work as a colossal team over the course of ten days during the Games, which will be broadcast and viewed by hundreds of millions of viewers. The repercussions will be profound.
The organising committee of the National Games has set an objective for this event, i.e., a combination of technology, sports and culture. Generally speaking, the mainland's sporting level is very high, even leading the world in some events. The mainland will definitely stage a sporting feast for the audience through the Games. Now the organising committee is planning how to apply the latest technology to the Games — so that athletes can unleash their potential in a better environment, and how to embody green and low-carbon concepts to show the world its commitment to environmental protection. As for how to reflect the efforts in the performances in the opening and closing ceremonies, it is believed that the committee has thought everything through. Given the mainland's technological level, there is no cause for worry.
In respect of culture, the committee has said that the Games will showcase "Guangzhou as a 1000-year city, the Bay Area as that of the world's, and China as a vast and magnificent nation". Of course, the National Games must have Chinese elements. Guangzhou, where main competitions will take place, will also promote the culture of the City of the Ram. Regarding the culture of the Bay Area, who will draw the "cultural boundaries" or define it? This should be planned together by the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao authorities. Hong Kong should fight for a chance to participate in it, for example, whether one of the mascots can wear the costumes of Hong Kong.
The organising committee has set a goal for the upcoming National Games—it must be of "the largest scale, the highest level, and the widest impact". The scale and level of the games will increase and improve together with the enhancement of China's national strength, which can be guaranteed by China's technology and sporting standards. As for the widest impact, in addition to the number of record-breaking events, it is also reflected in various aspects, such as the cities' administrative standards, the quality of the citizens and the manifestation of humanistic care.
The performance of Guangzhou and Shenzhen remains to be seen, and Hong Kong will not come off second best in these aspects. All it takes is the SAR government's encouragement to citizens to participate and jointly demonstrate these qualities in front of the people of the nation. When athletes compete on the fields in the upcoming National Games, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will be striving for and competing in various arrangements. Hong Kong must prepare for such competition as soon as possible.
明報社評2024.04.15：全運會粵港澳合作成示範 香港應爭取展現文化特色
新一屆全國運動會還有一年半開鑼，組委會成立大會上周四舉行。這次破天荒由粵港澳三地合辦，意義非凡，若然成功，不但為全運會跨地域合作模式提供示範，更可以為粵港澳在其他領域探討更大的合作空間。
全運會是一場全國盛事，將有1萬多名運動員參賽，31個省市及其他代表團官員6000多人，組委會官員5000多人，裁判和技術官員4000多人，共同組成一支龐大的隊伍在10多天的賽事中亮相，經過轉播還有數億人次的觀眾，影響深遠。
全運會組委會為這一屆賽事定出一個方針：科技+體育+文化。內地的體育水平，總體來說十分高，在某些項目更是領先全球，一定能夠通過賽事為觀眾上演一場「體育盛宴」，現在組委會在籌謀，如何運用最新科技應用在比賽，讓健兒能夠有更好的發揮環境；如何體現綠色低碳，向全球展現對環保的重視；同時也將體現在開幕式和閉幕式的表演項目，相信大會已經了然於胸，按照內地的科技水平，也毋須擔心。
至於文化方面，大會宣布將會體現「千年羊城、世界灣區、泱泱華夏」，全國運動會當然要有華夏的元素，主要比賽所在地的廣州，也會有羊城文化的展現，至於灣區文化，究竟是誰來劃定「文化界線」，或者定義灣區文化，則應該由粵港澳三地共同謀劃。香港可以參與的部分，是需要爭取的，吉祥物是否可以有一個是穿「香港服裝」？
組委會為舉辦這屆全運會定下一個目標，要做到「規模最大、水平最高、影響最廣」。規模和水平，是隨着國力提升而自然增大和提高的，有科技和體育水平可以做保證，至於影響最廣，除了破紀錄的項目多寡，還體現在各個方面內容的表現，當中有城市的管理水平，主辦城市市民的素質，人文關懷的體現等等。
廣州和深圳在這方面將會有何表現，不妨拭目以待，而香港在這些方面，也不會矮人一截，只是等待特區政府鼓動市民參與，共同在全國人民面前表現出來而已。即將舉行的全運會，體育健兒將會在賽場上競逐，粵港澳三地在舉辦各種安排上有爭取也有競爭，香港要為這方面的競爭及早做好準備。
■/ Glossary 生字 /
inauguration : a special ceremony at which a new public official or leader is introduced or a building or organisation is officially opened
colossal : extremely large
come off second best : lose a game or competition, or not be as successful as someone else