Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the 15th National Games open Sunday evening at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center in Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province, marking the first time the country's premier multi-sport event has been jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.
The opening ceremony, attended by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry and IOC Honorary President Thomas Bach, blended official proceedings with cultural performances, showcasing the vitality of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, one of China's most open and economically dynamic regions.
The ceremony began at 20:00. An eight-member guard of honor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army solemnly escorted China's national flag into the stadium with a steady stride.
The flag of the National Games of the People's Republic of China and the flag of the 15th National Games were then carried in.
Delegations representing China's provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, as well as various sports associations, marched into the venue to the warm applause from the crowd.
The flag procession concluded with the raising of the national flag to the sound of the national anthem.
Chinese national flags were raised simultaneously on Sunday in the main stadium in Guangzhou, as well as in Hong Kong and Macao.
President Xi declared the Games open at 20:43.
Then, the flag of the National Games and the flag of the 15th National Games were raised.
The event then moved into an arts and sports performance themed "Shared Roots, Shared Heart, Shared Dream," which integrated athletic elements, artistic expression, and cutting-edge technology to vividly interpret the Games' slogan "Passionate National Games, Vibrant Greater Bay Area."
This was followed by the highly anticipated torch relay and cauldron lighting ceremony.
The torch for the 15th National Games, which had been relayed simultaneously across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao since November 2, finally arrived at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center.
Amid great excitement, twelve torchbearers carried the torch in a relay.
Asian men's 100m record holder Su Bingtian, Olympic fencing gold medalist Cheung Ka-long, and Asian Games wushu gold medalist Li Yi jointly ignited the National Games cauldron.
The opening ceremony drew to a close at 21:27 to the tune of the theme song of the Games.
The 15th National Games, running from Nov 9 to 21, is co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, marking the first time the Greater Bay Area has jointly hosted the country's premier multi-sport event.
First held in 1959, the National Games is China's largest multi-sport event.
This edition features 34 sports and 419 events in the competitive program, as well as 23 sports and 166 events in the mass participation program.
China's first cross-boundary National Games opens with splendor, unity
China's first cross-boundary National Games opens with splendor, unity
