Hong Kong Prepares for Historic 15th National Games with Guangdong and Macao Collaboration

CS attends press conference on preparations for 15th National Games in Guangzhou (with photo/videos)

Vice President of the Organising Committee of the 15th National Games (NG) and Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, attended a press conference on preparations for the 15th NG held by the Organising Committee of the 15th NG in Guangzhou today (November 8). Mr Chan, along with relevant officials from the General Administration of Sport of China, Guangdong Province and the Macao Special Administrative Region, introduced the progress of the preparations for the 15th NG.

Addressing the press conference, Mr Chan said the NG this year is of extraordinary significance as it is jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao for the first time. It fully reflects the country's high level of trust and expectations for Hong Kong, and demonstrates the enormous potential and promising prospects of co-ordinated sports development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), injecting new momentum and energy into promoting developments in the GBA and facilitating high-quality regional development.

On how the Games would promote Hong Kong's economic development and consolidate its status as a hub for international mega events, Mr Chan said that the 15th NG this year is the largest NG in history. It is expected that there will be nearly 4 000 people in total participating in the games in Hong Kong, including over 2 100 athletes and over 1 800 officials and technical officials. In addition, hundreds of media representatives will also come to Hong Kong to cover the games. Mr Chan said he believes that the games will attract a large number of visitors to watch the games in Hong Kong, experiencing the city's charm and passion for sports.

Mr Chan said, "Through organising the NG, Hong Kong showcases the city's capability to organise large-scale competitions. It further solidifies Hong Kong's reputation as an international capital of mega events, laying a solid foundation for attracting more premier sports events to be held in Hong Kong in the future. In addition, organising large-scale sports events will leverage the 'sports plus tourism' synergistic effect to drive the development of tourism, hotel, retail, and food and beverage industries. As more tourists from the Mainland and overseas are attracted to Hong Kong to enjoy the games and visit other GBA cities, it brings long-term benefits to the tourism trade and creates more collaboration opportunities in the GBA."

Regarding the arrangements of the cross-boundary road cycling event, Mr Chan said, "As the first-ever cross-boundary event in the history of the NG, it highlights the unique feature of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao cohosting the NG. To ensure the smooth implementation of the event, the three places have maintained close liaison to create a smooth and convenient cross-border clearance experience through advanced technologies and effective collaboration mechanisms, achieving the goal of 'contactless clearance'."

He noted that an innovative mode of "pre-entry clearance and closed-loop management" is adopted for the event, conducting advance identity verification of relevant personnel, with a view to facilitating their entry to the closed-loop area and immigration clearance. During the event, athletes will wear wristbands with a global positioning system and equipment of radio frequency identification. Live broadcast monitoring and drone inspection systems will be equipped along the race course to keep track of the real-time movements and locations of all participants. In addition, athletes and equipment vehicles will be bound with magnetic chips, allowing efficient transmission of clearance information to the backend system, delivering a "contactless clearance" with zero delay, zero waiting time, and uninterrupted passage without stopping.

He further stated that throughout the preparation and organisation process, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have maintained close communication. This includes visits to cross-boundary routes and co-ordination among relevant departments and units for several working meetings. The governments of the three places have engaged in substantial and meticulous co-ordination across various areas, such as managing road closures, implementing temporary control measures at control points, ensuring closed-loop arrangements throughout the events, providing motorcade escorts, "contactless clearance", and preventing race convoys and athletes from deviating off course. This cross-boundary collaboration mode not only ensures the smooth execution of the event but also fosters people-to-people exchanges in the GBA, deepens regional co-operation mechanisms, and enhances the GBA's overall capabilities comprehensively in holding large-scale competitions. It also provides practical opportunities and lays a solid foundation for future co-operation in the GBA.

Mr Chan said, "By hosting the 15th NG, Hong Kong and other cities in the GBA can build closer sports partnerships, further break down geographical boundaries, achieve resource sharing and complementary advantages, and jointly advance the development of the sports industry of the GBA. This will attract more large-scale international sports events to Hong Kong and the GBA, continuously enhancing the region's global influence and sports competitiveness."

Officials attending today's press conference included Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China Mr Li Jing; Vice President of the Organising Committee of the 15th NG and Standing Committee member of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Mr Wang Xi; Mr Chan; and Vice President of the Organising Committee of the 15th NG and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Ms O Lam.

Mr Chan will attend the second plenary meeting of the Organising Committee and the second meeting of heads of delegations tomorrow (November 9).

CS attends press conference on preparations for 15th National Games in Guangzhou Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Source: AI-found images

Re-launch of Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works in New Territories Exempted Houses

Following the direction of earlier proposals, the Buildings Department (BD) announced today (April 1) the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works (UBWs) in New Territories Exempted Houses (NTEHs). The reporting period will last for one year from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

"In view of the history and unique circumstances of the NTEHs (commonly known as village houses), the Government launched a one-off administrative reporting scheme in 2012 as a special arrangement. Under the scheme, owners could report to the BD about UBWs that were erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law. The reporting period ended in December 2012. The Development Bureau (DEVB) put forward proposals to amend the Buildings Ordinance in December 2024, which included rationalising the policy for handling UBWs. The DEVB also pointed out that in response to the views of villagers and Legislative Council members that the reporting period was too short, the Government prepared to re-launch the Reporting Scheme to allow owners who at that time did not report their UBWs to do so," a spokesman for the BD said.

Relevant stakeholders and Legislative Council members generally considered the above proposals practical and feasible, and they welcomed the proposals. The DEVB and the BD have also consulted Heung Yee Kuk on the relevant implementation arrangements.

The re-launched Reporting Scheme will maintain the original criteria, including:

(1) The types of UBWs that can be reported and their erection dates are the same as the original Reporting Scheme, meaning that only UBWs erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law and were not the First Round Targets (Note) are eligible. Examples include signboards projecting from the external walls of village houses; enclosed rooftop structures with a coverage of not more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area of the main building.

(2) Same as the original Reporting Scheme, owners are required to conduct safety inspections on the reported UBWs every five years.

"The BD will not require the immediate removal of the reported UBWs unless their structures become obviously dangerous. Regarding UBWs in village houses, the BD is prioritising the handling of First Round Targets. If any relevant UBWs remain not reported after the application deadline of March 31, 2027, the BD will, after dealing with the First Round Targets, take priority enforcement action against the non-reported UBWs. The BD will formulate enforcement strategy for the reported UBWs at a later stage in accordance with the risks and the actual situation," the spokesman added.

To enhance the efficiency of processing applications, reports must be submitted via the electronic platform on the BD's website by technically competent persons or registered professional engineers appointed by owners. In accordance with the user-pays principle, an administrative fee of $600 is payable for each application. Upon successful reports, owners must also pay the relevant administrative fee when conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years.

Details of the re-launched Reporting Scheme are available on the BD's website at https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/safety-inspection/ubw/UBW-in-new-territories-exempted-houses/index_relaunch_reporting_scheme.html; Villagers who wish to report can call 2626 1616 for enquiry. The BD will also use different channels such as distributing leaflets and posters to Rural Committees to enable villagers to know more about the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme.

Owners who had successfully participated in the Reporting Scheme in 2012 are not required to submit reports again. However, they must continue to comply with the requirements of the original Reporting Scheme, including conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years, submitting safety certificates and paying administrative fees to the BD.

Note: The First Round Targets refer to UBWs with higher potential risks and more serious nature, such as village houses of four storeys or more, and enclosed rooftop structures covering more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area.

Source: AI-found images