ID head positively evaluates 2023 for sport

2023 was a very positive year for sports in Macau, surpassing the government’s expectations, the president of Sports Bureau (ID), Pun Weng Kun, told the media on the sidelines of the press conference launching next year’s 2024 MGM Macao International Regatta.

Reflecting on the sports year, Pun said, “We are currently in December and we still have some events to take place before the end of the year, but we can see that our colleagues at the Sports Bureau have been very busy with all the events. The results and data we have had access to also show how these events are supporting several aspects of Macau’s development, which is evident in the increase in tourist numbers and spending.”

“In general terms, we can say that 2023 was a success and even surpassed some of our expectations. We hope that in 2024 we can continue to host even more sports events,” the official added.

The annual regatta will take place in January next year from the 11 to 14, and is the first large-scale sports event of 2024, Pun announced.

The ID president noted the event has been growing every year and attracting more international recognition, a fact that contributes to added visibility and interest in participation from international teams.

Pun noted the event has also contributed to local sailing enthusiasts learning more and improving their technique.

Asked by the media about the participation of local residents, the ID president said that not only is there more local participation within the regatta itself but the organizing team has increasingly been using more locals in organizational tasks such as managing and adjudicating the competition, he said.

At the same press conference, the president and executive director of MGM China Holdings Ltd, Kenneth Feng, acknowledged the continuous support of the company in the “transformation of Macau into a city of sports,” adding that water and marine activities have been a big part of MGM’s support portfolio this year, which is set to continue in future years.

Similar format to previous editions

In the upcoming edition, the event will be once again split into three competitive categories with participation from 37 teams and about 300 team members in total.

The three regattas include the already-traditional Macao Cup International Regatta (using Beneteau First 40.7); the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cup Regatta (for International Rating Certificate – IRC – group); and the International Catamaran Invitational (using Hobie 16).

According to information from the organizers, the 300 participants represent 28 countries and regions.

The regattas will take place at the waters south of Hac Sa Beach (for the first two classes) and at the waters south of Inner Harbour channel just off the Macau Science Center for the Hobie 16, similar to previous years.

As in previous editions, a boat parade is also part of the event, allowing those interested to see the competition vessels more closely.

The parade starts from the docks of the Fisherman’s Wharf and will head up to Sai Van Bridge, close to the Peninsula side, returning to the original docking location and passing closer to shore on the Taipa side.

More details on schedules and special events will be revealed at a later stage.