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Hong Kong’s section of the National Games torch relay will emphasise the city’s financial and cultural characteristics while boosting local tourism, according to a sports official and a lawmaker. Yeung Tak-keung, head of the National Games Coordination Office in Hong Kong, said Sunday’s local relay route would showcase the skyline and Victoria Harbour, reflecting the city’s unique role as a financial centre. During a radio show appearance on Tuesday, Yeung was asked whether the city’s relay event would include any technological elements, such as drones or autonomous vehicles. He hinted that such elements would not feature as part of the event. “We can choose how to express Hong Kong’s characteristics. We are a financial centre and the skyline of Victoria Harbour along the way would reflect this,” he said. “We cannot put together too many elements, which may dilute our own uniqueness.” The 15th National Games will be co-hosted by Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province from November 9 to 21. Four torch relays will be held in parallel on Sunday in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, with the torches to be later brought to Guangzhou to prepare for the opening ceremony on November 9. In Hong Kong, the relay will start at the Central Government Office in Admiralty and finish at Kai Tak Sports Park. The roughly two-hour relay will start at 9.30am and pass tourist hotspots such as Central Harbourfront, Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui’s promenade. Across the border, Shenzhen and Guangzhou’s relay routes are set to focus heavily on technology. According to local media, the relay section in Guangzhou will involve a driverless car passing through its core urban area, while a helicopter will be used for 40km (24.9 miles), or 90 per cent of the journey, of Shenzhen’s torch run. Yeung said on Tuesday that the designs of the routes were the result of coordination between the four cities, with each showcasing its respective highlights without duplication. He added that residents would have ideal opportunities to witness the torch relay in Hong Kong as many roads along the route would be closed, giving pedestrians sufficient space. Speaking on the same programme, lawmaker Benson Luk Hon-man said the relay route could be turned into a draw for tourists. “Tourists can design a complete travel route full of Hong Kong characteristics simply by drawing reference to the relay route,” he said. “The route mostly goes through the busy urban areas of Hong Kong. Besides benefits to the cultural and sports sector, the relay would also help boost consumption and retail.” He noted that the local route would go past the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Hong Kong Museum of Art in Tsim Sha Tsui, also reflecting the city’s role as a hub for Chinese-Western cultural exchanges. More than 400 events across 34 sports will be held for the coming Games, with Hong Kong hosting competitive events for fencing, men’s under-22 basketball, track cycling, golf, men’s handball, rugby sevens, triathlon and beach volleyball. The city government earlier said it expected about 100,000 visitors from mainland China and the rest of the world to travel to Hong Kong for the Games.
