GBA ping-pong foreshadows more regional sports events

On the Agenda

With the first Greater Bay Area (GBA) Inter-school Table Tennis Championship opening last weekend in Macau, more regional sports events will be presented, director for Education and Youth Development Kong Chi Meng has said.

The education official said this year marks the 75th Anniversary and the 25th Anniversary of the respective establishments of the People’s Republic of China and the Macau Special Administrative Region, which set the scene for sports collaboration between the nine cities of the GBA.

He also said the nine cities will increase their sporting collaboration by not only taking turns to hold more competitions, but also in terms of educational and research-based events, such as seminars and forums, to promote sports development in the region.

Meanwhile, Leong Kin Wa, manager and coach of the Macau Inter-school Table Tennis Team, said four boy and four girl athletes from the team are competing in this championship, according to public broadcaster TDM-Radio Macau – Chinese channel

He hopes they will perform well and take this chance to learn from other athletes.

A local athlete surnamed Chiang said that this is a good chance to learn from co-competitors, noting that during the pandemic, there were few such opportunities.

This first championship sees about 150 participants, including both team leaders and athletes, from the GBA. 

The championship’s first match day saw group preliminary matches in male and female categories. The second day, saw semi-final matches for both categories. 

Held concurrently with the championship is the GBA Sports Education Seminar, which featured academics from across the region to share their knowledge on the development of sports in their respective cities.

Sports is part of the Macau government’s plans towards economic diversification and is also a major goal for GBA development.