Second official merchandise store opens as ticket sales begin

As the 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities, and the 9th National Special Olympic Games draw closer, Macau opened its second official merchandise store yesterday at MGM Macau.

This new store follows the opening of the flagship store at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion and is the first to operate within an integrated resort hotel.

At the store opening yesterday, Pun Weng Kun, Director of the National Games Coordination Office (Macau), revealed plans to open five to six official merchandise stores citywide by next month.

He assured that additional stores will be set up at various venues during the Games to ensure convenient shopping options for both residents and tourists.

“We believe there will be about five or six stores before the Games begin […] considering Macau’s 32 square kilometers, I think that ratio makes it easy to find souvenirs,” Pun said.

Alongside the merchandise update, initial ticket sales for the multi-city event kicked off yesterday at 10 a.m. Members of the public can purchase e-tickets through official online ticketing platforms, including the 15th National Games official ticketing website and by searching for the “15th National Games official ticketing” mini-program on WeChat, after completing real-name registration with an account.

The first round of tickets covers 17 events held across Guangdong and Hong Kong, including men’s U22 basketball, beach volleyball, men’s handball, women’s hockey, para-taekwondo, and rugby sevens. Approximately 700,000 tickets are available online.

Tickets for the five events scheduled to take place in Macau will be released gradually starting in mid-September, with table tennis competitions expected to be among the first available.

Pun emphasized yesterday that detailed information about ticket sales and the locations of physical ticket centers in Macau will be announced closer to that time.

“Tickets for the Macau events will not go on sale until mid-September. Even within Macau, these events will be released separately to allow for better preparation. Table tennis, the first event everyone’s interested in, is expected to be one of the next releases,” he said.

To build excitement ahead of the Games, the local Coordination Office also announced yesterday that it has installed “countdown check-in devices” at several key spots around the city.

These community activation points are located at Ruins of St. Paul’s, Iao Hon Market Park, Portas do Cerco, the Three Lamps Roundabout, Nam Van Lake, and the roundabout near Macau Stadium in Taipa.