Han Ximin 1824295095@qq.com THE 15th National Games will be held from Nov. 9 to 21 in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), according to a news conference held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing on Thursday. The games will be hosted by 19 cities across the GBA, the largest number of cities to host the games during a single year. The opening ceremony will be held in Guangzhou, and the closing ceremony will be held in Shenzhen. The ceremonies will organically integrate Lingnan culture, the distinctive features of Hong Kong and Macao, and sports culture, presenting a visual spectacle that highlights both the richness of Chinese heritage and the tech charm of the GBA. Some events will be held cross-border for the first time. Among them, the route for road cycling will cover Zhuhai, Hong Kong, and Macao, marking the first time the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will be used in the event. Meanwhile, the marathon event, hosted by Shenzhen, will utilize the Shenzhen Bay Bridge to cross between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, making it the first cross-border marathon in the history of the National Games. The competitive sports program includes 34 major events with 419 sub-events, and it is expected that over 15,000 athletes will participate in the finals. The mass sports events consist of 23 major events and 166 sub-events, 148 of which will be completed before the opening ceremony. About 11,000 athletes are expected to compete in the finals. Tong Lixin, deputy director of the Organizing Committee for the 15th National Games and deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China, said that the renovation of competition venues had been completed and more than half of the 68 test events had already been held. Preparations for the games have prioritized avoiding redundant construction. Over 90% of the competition venues use existing facilities that have been upgraded. The torch relay has been meticulously designed, with the route spanning the GBA. | 