Samuel Tong Kai Chung, president of the Macau Institute of Management, believes the 15th National Games was not only a major sporting event but also an important lens through which to assess the implementation of Macao’s “one centre, one platform, one base” strategy. This framework positions Macao as a world centre of tourism and leisure, a service platform for commercial and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and a multicultural exchange and cooperation base with an emphasis on Chinese culture.
He notes that sporting activities fit naturally with the vision of building a world centre of tourism and leisure. Athletes arriving to compete are typically high-spending visitors who seldom make short day trips, and when combined with large numbers of team officials and spectators, they help lengthen stays and stimulate local consumption. “From the perspective of a tourism centre, sporting events can create a stable visitor flow and a fixed annual activity calendar, becoming a key tool for smoothing out seasonal peaks and troughs,” said Mr Tong, who is also a member of the Executive Council, a top-level advisory body to the Chief Executive.
Mr Tong also said sport can bolster Macao’s role as a service platform for commercial and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. In his view, China is prioritising the development of football and other international sports, and many Portuguese-speaking countries are well-established in these fields, making Macao well-placed to act as a bridge. Coach exchanges, youth training partnerships and friendly matches could all turn “sporting exchange” into a new channel for trade and people-to-people cooperation.
Addressing Macao’s goal to become a platform for multicultural exchange and cooperation with an emphasis on Chinese culture, he said dragon boat races as well as dragon and lion dances are good examples of sports events that combine spectacle with cultural significance. When broadcast internationally and amplified on social media, they project the soft power of traditional Chinese culture, enabling overseas audiences to better understand both China and Macao through sport.
On the sports-economy front, Mr Tong stresses that large-scale competitions such as the National Games generate far more than ticket revenue – they activate an entire industry chain, from sporting equipment and souvenirs to broadcasting rights and intellectual property licensing, as well as event organisation and peripheral product development. “Sport can serve as a hub linking manufacturing, services and the cultural-creative industries,” he said.
He believes Macao can use the momentum of the National Games to cultivate high value-added segments such as sports information services, brand licensing and digital content, thereby gradually expanding the city’s sports industry chain.
