00:00Elite venues, athletes pushing themselves to the limit, and the first ever cross-border races.
00:10The countdown to the Chinese National Games 2025 is on.
00:14I'm in Hong Kong, where the preparations are in the final stretch ahead of the National Games.
00:20I'll be discovering some of the most iconic sport venues in the city,
00:24and I'll be learning how athletes and organizers get ready for this mega-event challenge.
00:34From November 9th to 21st, fans can experience a first of its kind of multi-sports event.
00:42Hong Kong is hosting eight elite competitions, unfolding simultaneously across Hong Kong,
00:49Wondan province and Macau, each with its own unforgettable backdrop.
00:53The Kai Tak Sports Park is one of those venues.
00:57It's the largest sports and entertainment complex in Hong Kong.
01:02Since opening in March, it has already made it smart, hosting major international events.
01:08The National Games will really help solidify Hong Kong's offering,
01:13and especially open up Hong Kong's offering to mainland.
01:17Sevens is internationally famous in Hong Kong, and the stadium here, we've already run the Sevens this year,
01:26so we know that it'll be another great presentation.
01:28The one thing that's fantastic to be able to see is that we really try and define our offering as Hong Kong's home stadium,
01:36and it's been brilliant to see that.
01:38In just five months, a million people have visited this 50,000-seat stadium, witnessing its cutting-edge technology and design.
01:48It's got a very unique Hong Kong feeling to it, especially with the window onto the Hong Kong skyline.
01:55The venues are ready, but are the athletes prepared for the challenge ahead?
02:04Hong Kong's men's handball team is ready ahead of the Games.
02:09Leading the team is a Swedish coach who's lived in the city for five years, guiding them with purpose and a strategy.
02:16I'm mostly excited for the players, because for them it's really going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity kind of thing.
02:24Like, this is this one shot in front of their home crowd.
02:28They never, ever played on such venues before.
02:32The Kai Tak Sports Arena will be home to both handball and fencing during the Games.
02:38Are you happy to play there?
02:39I mean, as long as the people show up to support us, I'll happily play anywhere.
02:47Obviously, Kai Tak is a bit bigger, so there could be more people coming to support us.
02:51Held every four years, the National Games are always a challenge to organize,
02:56and this year, more than ever, with cross-border events for the first time.
03:01A 230-kilometre cycling race stretches across the Hong Kong-Zuhai-Makau Bridge,
03:08while a marathon connects Hong Kong to Shenzhen in mainland China.
03:13So basically, 21 kilometres in Hong Kong, 21 kilometres in Shenzhen.
03:17The race will start at the stadium in Shenzhen,
03:21and the runners will pass through the immigration checkpoint and then come into Hong Kong.
03:25As they will have gone through the pre-registration, there's no need to stop.
03:29The Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau are three separate custom territories,
03:35so every detail must be fine-tuned to keep the races running seamlessly from start to finish.
03:41The cycling is a very long route, actually.
03:44We expect it will take more than five hours.
03:46The cyclists, actually, they need to pass through the customs and immigration control points six times in total,
03:53and then we use technology to ensure that they will not go to other parts of the road.
03:59Athletes are gearing up for these pioneering cross-border races.
04:08Vincent Lump broke Hong Kong's marathon record in 2024.
04:14Now he's taking on a new challenge at the Games.
04:17Doing this cross-border marathon requires a lot of work.
04:22There are a lot of challenges along the course, for example, like the bridges,
04:28and also the headwind and the crosswind around the Shenzhen Bay border.
04:35Racing in the home turf even makes this experience more unforgettable.
04:40It's definitely like once-in-a-lifetime experience.
04:44Hong Kong's venues and athletes are all set for the excitement of the competition
04:48and the roar of the crowds at one of Asia's largest sporting events.
04:54The Games kick off on November 9th.
04:56National Center will be able to president and renovate that starry hank in California.
05:02Here it is.
05:02The Games.
05:04The Games.
05:04This hoc, thanks for joining us,
05:07the Games.
05:08The Games.
05:13The Games.
05:16This has been delicious.
05:20generation vacation.
05:22These are different pluggish.
Comentarios