Hong Kong's Sham Shui Po Sports Center hosted a sports-themed event on Wednesday to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and to build excitement ahead of the 15th National Games, which Hong Kong will co-host.
The event, titled "Celebrating National Day with National Games: Let's exercise!" was co-hosted by the Sham Shui Po Residents' Association and the Sham Shui Po District Office. It was designed to promote community sports exchanges and create a joyful and festive atmosphere.
The event drew a large crowd of enthusiastic participants who took part in interactive sporting experiences.
Gai Xiangyu, a member of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and President of the Hong Kong Yantai Fellow Association, highlighted the event's inspirational goals.
"Through sports, we can inspire the determined and unremitting fighting spirit of Hong Kong's youth, allowing citizens to better integrate into the country's overall development," he said.
Wong Ho-yu, the Sham Shui Po district officer, also commented on the significance of the event, which leverages the unique opportunity of the National Games being co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao for the first time.
"It will be the first time that the National Games are jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. We hope that through the efforts of the government and the local community, using sports as a platform, we can deepen the community's understanding -- especially among young people -- of our country's achievements in sports. This will enhance their spirit of pursuing excellence and strengthen their sense of national identity," he said.
China's 15th National Games will be co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in November 2025, with Hong Kong hosting eight events.
Sports-themed National Day celebrations liven up Hong Kong's Sham Shui Po
An increasing number of German consumers are considering buying electric vehicles (EVs) in the face of high fuel prices, according to a recent survey by the largest German online car trading platform, mobile.de.
As the Middle East tensions continue to drive up international oil and gas prices, the cost of automotive fuel has been rising steadily in many European countries.
According to fuel price data compiled by the German Association of the Automotive Industry, since the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on February 28, gasoline prices in Germany have risen by nearly 20 percent, while diesel prices have shot up by more than 30 percent.
Results from a recent survey by mobile.de show that if gasoline prices remain at current high levels, 43 percent of respondents said they would switch to EVs, and 36 percent cited long-term cost savings as the most important reason for considering an EV purchase.
Additionally, the platform's data show that inquiries about used EVs surged by 66 percent in the first half of March.
"We are absolutely seeing much more interest on mobile.de for electric cars. What the German energy transition couldn't do, this current geopolitical situation has done in terms of transition to electric cars," said Ajay Bhatia, CEO of mobile.de.
In addition to high oil prices, government subsidies are also a key factor driving German consumers to consider purchasing EVs.
The German government announced the resumption of subsidies in January of this year, planning to invest 3 billion euros over the next few years to provide purchase subsidies for some 800,000 EVs.
Driven by the combined effects of high oil prices and subsidy policies, German consumers' interest in EVs has grown clearly. However, it remains to be seen whether this shift will evolve into a more sustained market trend.
"How long it will stay is anyone's guess, but at the moment we're absolutely seeing an increase, and sometimes these transitions need a catalyst. And this is definitely a catalyst that is seeing the transition to electric cars speed up," said Bhatia.
More Germans interested in buying EVs due to high oil prices: survey
