A DELEGATION of Chinese mainland athletes returning from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will visit Hong Kong from Aug. 29 to 31, and Macao from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative region (SAR) governments announced on Sunday. The delegation will attend a welcome reception and welcome banquet hosted by the HKSAR government, and visit the Hong Kong Sports Institute for exchange activities. Members will also attend three public events, including a gala show at Queen Elizabeth Stadium on Aug. 30, and give sports demonstrations at Queen Elizabeth Stadium and Victoria Park Swimming Pool on Aug. 31. In Macao, they will attend welcome activities organized by the SAR government, meet with local athletes and youths, participate in a gala, and visit the city’s landmarks and local communities. Macao citizens may register for a chance to go to the gala which will be held on the evening of Sept. 1 at the Macao East Asian Games Dome. John Lee, chief executive of the HKSAR, expressed his sincere gratitude to the Central Government for arranging the visit of the Chinese mainland Olympians delegation, which he said “fully demonstrates its care for Hong Kong.” “Athletes of the national team, with their spirit of perseverance and high level of skills, achieved breakthroughs in a number of sports in this year’s Paris Olympic Games. The national team achieved its best performance abroad since it comprehensively participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics,” said Lee. “We are extremely proud to have witnessed China’s competitive sports continue to scale new heights.” The visit of national team athletes to Hong Kong is a decades-long tradition. “The visits of athletes of the national team to Hong Kong in the past have always been a craze in the city, bringing a joyful and festive atmosphere to the community,” said the chief executive. “We are looking forward to the delegation’s visit to share with Hong Kong people their journey of perseverance and success, and to promote the spirit of Chinese sports. Hong Kong people will be able to share the national team’s joy and triumphs, thereby strengthening their patriotic passion and national spirit, especially among the younger generation,” he said.(Xinhua) | 