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Only the first two days of fencing, half a day of beach volleyball, the pricier tickets for the rugby sevens and some spots for men’s handball at Hong Kong’s portion of the National Games have sold out, the Post has found. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said on Sunday that the city’s preparation work for the Games was “99 per cent complete”, but 70 per cent of tickets were still up for grabs as residents appeared hesitant to commit because many would be at work or school. “We expect the National Games to attract around 100,000 spectators to support the matches,” Law said. The Games, co-hosted by Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau, will be held from November 9 to 21. Hong Kong is hosting fencing, golf, track cycling, men’s handball, rugby sevens, beach volleyball, basketball and triathlon, as well as a mass participation event for bowling. The city will also host segments of the cross-border events for men’s road cycling and the marathon. Ticket prices for events held in the city range from 50 yuan (US$7.03) to 300 yuan, depending on the event, with higher prices for weekend matches. A Post check on the official ticketing website found that the first two days of fencing matches on November 15 and 16, as well as the afternoon session on the penultimate day of beach volleyball on November 8, had been sold out as of Monday morning. The first two days of rugby sevens matches with elimination rounds on November 12 and 13 have also seen their pricier 200 and 300 yuan tickets sell out, leaving only the 100 yuan spots available. The lowest-priced 100 yuan tickets for the men’s handball match on the last day of competition on November 10 have also sold out. Law told a television programme on Sunday that the government would consider arranging school groups or sports-related institutions to view matches, depending on ticket sales. But she emphasised that the sales pattern was comparable to previous National Games, adding that she believed public enthusiasm would grow as the competitions began.
