As the 15th National Games, co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, drew to a successful close, the benefits reaped by the land of South China extended far beyond athletic achievements. Coming at the crucial historical juncture of concluding the 14th Five-Year Plan and planning the 15th Five-Year Plan, this sports gala was not only a comprehensive review of athletic performances but also a brand-new starting point for Guangdong sports to march toward high-quality development and accelerate the construction of a high-level sports powerhouse.
On the field, the Guangdong delegation ranked among the top nationwide with an outstanding record of 95 gold medals, 77 silver medals and 71 bronze medals, totaling 243 medals. Off the field, riding the wave of the National Games, a nationwide fitness upsurge swept across South China: the Guangdong “Provincial Super League” football matches boasted a booming market with tickets selling out quickly; in beautiful villages, events like “Village BA” and “Village Super League” were in full swing; indoor ice and snow rinks allowed “Southern Potatoes” to experience the unique charm of winter sports; and among outdoor camps, hiking, cycling and camping became new weekend choices for families. As Cui Jian, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau, put it, with the successful hosting of the 15th National Games as a new starting point, Guangdong sports will “strive to take the lead in the new journey of comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization”.
Competitive Sports Remain at the Forefront
Traditional Strengths and Emerging Forces Complement Each Other
At this National Games, the competitiveness of Guangdong’s competitive sports was fully demonstrated. Traditional advantageous events performed steadily, serving as the “ballast stone” for the delegation’s gold medal haul. The diving team claimed 6 golds, 1 silver and 2 bronzes, continuing its glory; the track and field squad won 6 golds, 4 silvers and 2 bronzes, showcasing the beauty of speed and strength; and the gymnastics team secured 5 golds, 3 silvers and 1 bronze, presenting the precise combination of power and grace.
Historic breakthroughs were achieved in several Olympic emerging events. The skateboarding team dominated with 3 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze; the rock climbing team won 2 golds, 2 silvers and 3 bronzes, with the new generation of athletes coming to the fore; the BMX team took 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze, marking Guangdong’s first top podium finish in this event at the National Games; and the Guangdong pair claimed the mixed double sculls title in coastal rowing, which was the first gold medal in this event since it was officially included in the Olympic Games and the National Games, with extraordinary significance.
Team ball sports also shone brightly. The Guangdong men’s basketball team won titles in the senior, U22 and U18 categories; the women’s basketball team regained the National Games championship after an 8-year hiatus; the men’s water polo team triumphantly claimed the title, achieving the great feat of being six-time National Games champions; the football team won 2 silvers and 2 bronzes, setting its best record since 1987; the women’s handball team advanced to the final, creating its best-ever result; and the men’s field hockey and baseball teams each won a silver medal. In addition, events such as taekwondo, boxing, golf and equestrian each earned 2 gold medals. Among them, weightlifter Peng Cuiting set a new national record and surpassed the world record with a snatch of 128kg in the women’s 81kg category, contributing a highly valuable gold medal to the delegation.
More commendable was the touching scene of the passing of the torch. Su Bingtian emotionally “hung up his spikes” after completing his last baton handover, entrusting the track to the younger generation, which was deeply moving; Liu Shiwen, who stepped onto the National Games stage for the sixth time, staged a brilliant comeback with her mixed doubles partner Lin Gaoyuan to win the table tennis mixed doubles gold medal, interpreting her reluctance to leave and love for the field. At the same time, a large number of post-2005 young athletes such as Ke Qinqin and Zou Mingke made a stunning debut in major competitions, setting off a strong youth storm. According to statistics, post-2005 young athletes accounted for a significant proportion of the gold and medal winners of the Guangdong delegation, with an average age of just over twenty. This vigorous reserve force is the source of confidence for the sustainable and high-quality development of Guangdong sports in the future. The perseverance of veteran athletes and the brilliance of new stars together form a vivid picture of talent inheritance.
Mass Sports Flourish
National Games Benefiting the People Deepen Greater Bay Area Integration
If competitive sports are the glory at the top of the tower, then mass sports are the most solid foundation of the tower. At this National Games, the Guangdong mass sports delegation successfully defended its title, achieving an impressive “three consecutive championships”. A picture of “all flowers blooming together” unfolded across South China, and the concept of “National Games for All, National Games Benefiting the People” shone with the most splendid radiance.
Guangdong’s mass sports featured numerous highlights, demonstrating cluster advantages in all-round development. From dragon boat racing on the blue waves, football competitions on the green field to aeromodel contests in the air, Guangdong athletes showed strong strength in multiple dimensions of “land, water and air”. The Guangdong shuttlecock team performed brilliantly, winning all 6 gold medals in the event, demonstrating the absolute dominance and profound mass foundation of this traditional characteristic sport; in the lychee forests of Maoming, the Guangdong orienteering team fought bravely to win the first gold medal of the mass events at the 15th National Games, securing a “good start” for the delegation.
The breadth and depth of event coverage reflected the vigorous vitality of national participation. Guangdong athletes achieved remarkable results in popular daily events such as basketball, football, tennis, badminton and roller skating, showed wisdom and strategy in intellectual events like chess, go and bridge, and conveyed the unique charm of integrating traditional culture with fitness in exhibition events such as tai chi and lion dance. The performance in mass football and basketball was particularly outstanding: Guangdong participated in all sub-events, winning 6 golds in football and 5 golds in basketball. Behind these achievements were the solid foundation laid by amateur football events such as the Guangzhou “Mayor’s Cup”, Foshan “La Liga” and Meizhou “Village Super League”, as well as grassroots brand events like the decade-long Guangdong Basketball League and the “Hundred-Thousand-Million Series – Ten Thousand Villages Basketball Tournament”. Amateur masters from all walks of life have proven with their actions that sports are not only the arena for professional athletes but also a broad stage for all people to pursue health and showcase their talents.
It is worth mentioning that this National Games served as an excellent platform to deepen sports integration and social identity in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In events with strong Lingnan cultural characteristics such as dragon and lion dance (southern lion), the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao joint team participated and competed on the same stage. They not only won the first prize with exquisite skills but also vividly embodied the regional collaborative spirit of integration among the three places through sonorous drumbeats and coordinated dance steps. At this moment, sports transcended competition itself and became a solid bridge to promote cultural exchanges, emotional connections and people-to-people bonds among the three places.
Looking Forward to a New Chapter
Striving for a Sports Powerhouse with “Six Actions”
Although the flame of the 15th National Games has been extinguished, it has left valuable experience, a clear understanding and more lofty goals for Guangdong sports. We are proud of the historic achievements, and at the same time, we clearly recognize that compared with the General Administration of Sport of China’s “633” development strategy for Olympic advantageous events, basic major events and the three major balls, Guangdong still has gaps in some events compared with the domestic top level, which urgently need to be closed; some traditional advantageous events failed to perform at their due level; and issues such as talent echelon construction and generational replacement in some events still need to be highly valued. These problems are the key tasks to be addressed during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
The successful conclusion of the grand event marks the beginning of a new chapter. Guangdong sports has set its sights on a more distant future. In August this year, the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and the People’s Government of Guangdong Province issued the Opinions on Solidly Promoting High-Quality Sports Development and Building a High-Level Sports Powerhouse, which drew a clear blueprint for the future. The document clearly stated that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Guangdong will thoroughly implement the “Six Actions”, and strive to significantly enhance the overall development quality and efficiency of sports by 2030, lay a more solid foundation for building a sports powerhouse, and provide strong support for Guangdong to take the lead in advancing Chinese-style modernization.
Next, Guangdong will systematically summarize the experience of participating in the Games, institutionalize and normalize scientific training methods and efficient team support models, and promote the transformation of competitive sports advantages into mass sports resources; strengthen talent echelon construction, inspire future generations with the exemplary power of new and old champions, further improve the youth training system, and consolidate the foundation of reserve talents; deepen sports coordination among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, take the joint hosting and team participation this time as a new starting point, build a more normalized and broader platform for sports industry, event exchanges and talent training, and jointly improve the regional sports development level.
At the same time, the successful hosting of the National Games has greatly catalyzed the upgrading of Guangdong’s national fitness cause. A large number of newly built or renovated sports parks and smart venues will become long-term benefits for people’s livelihood; the optimized and upgraded event system at all levels will continue to ignite people’s enthusiasm for fitness; and the integrated models of “sports + cultural tourism” and “sports + rural revitalization” have shown strong vitality. All of these will promote the in-depth integration of national fitness and national health.
The 15th National Games witnessed the depth, height and warmth of Guangdong sports. Standing at the new starting point of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Guangdong, a hotbed of reform and opening up, will, with the courage to be a pioneer, promote the coordinated development of competitive sports and mass sports, write a new chapter in building a sports powerhouse, and continuously inject strong Lingnan momentum into the construction of a sports power and a healthy China.
