Ma Jin, a six-time badminton world champion, is a delegate representing CPC members of the sports sector in the 13th CPC Guangdong Provincial Congress. Having heard the report delivered at the Congress, Ma felt excited.
“The report highlights people-to-people exchanges with Hong Kong and Macao, especially through the 15th National Games in 2025. I will take this chance to promote physical education among the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA),” said Ma, Director of Zhong’ao Badminton Training Center.
In 2016, Ma Jin concluded her 22-year career as an athlete and started actively engaging in physical education in Zhuhai, a city neighboring Macao.
National Games to be a springboard for sports cooperation in the GBA
The report of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee indicates to further people-to-people exchanges with a goal to hold a successful National Games in 2025 with Hong Kong and Macao.
Ma feels excited about this plan, saying, “This is the first time for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to jointly hold large-scale sports event. The event will further integrate the development of the sports industry within the region.”
Ma proposes to take full advantage of the current stadiums which will be renovated to meet the standards of the National Games. “In this way, we can conserve resources. The venues can also be recycled and open to the public after the event.”
Ma also proposed that the experience of holding the National Games could be applied to jointly build signature youth sports events in the GBA.
Teenagers are the future of sports development in the GBA
“As a powerful economic engine of China, the GBA has a dynamic market and is an ideal place to develop the sports industry,” Ma said.
According to Guangdong Sports Bureau, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao all have rich experience in holding grand sports events. Guangdong has held the National Games twice and hosted the Asian Games in 2010. Macao and Hong Kong has held the 4th and 5th East Asian Games in 2005 and 2009 respectively.
The Development Plan for the GBA also highlighted that the cities in the region will jointly push forward the development of sports and sports-related industries as well as jointly organize a series of international and regional sports events.
“We have trained about one thousand teenagers from Zhuhai and Macao to play badminton. The youngest kid is only 5 years old. They are the future of sports development in the GBA,” Ma elaborated.
She told the reporter her Training Center has been looking for potential young players in the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone which is located in Zhuhai’s Hengqin, and training badminton teams in collaboration with the Badminton Federation of Macao.
“The Training Center has become a bridge between the teenagers of Guangdong and Macao, where they enhance understanding of each other and become friends,” Ma said.
“The promotion of sports culture and training of young athletes will always be my focus. I will continue to promote cultural and sports exchanges among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao,” Ma said.
Reporter | Li Runfang, Jasmine, Lydia Liu, Nina
Video | Zhang Ruilin
Graphic designer | Mia
Editor | Wing, Steven, Jerry
