The finals of the 2012 Autumn “Free Sports Ground” Ball Games Competition took place on November 11 at the Free Sports Ground on Rua Central da Areia Preta. The Sport Development Board and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau were the event organizers while the Macao-China Basketball Association and the Macao Football Association the co-organizers.

The competition started on 30 September and before reaching the finals, 292 basketball teams, 142 football teams totaling 1736 athletes competed in the district preliminary round held  held at free sport grounds at Veng Neng, Canal Dos Patos, A-ma temple area, 3-on-3 basketball court and the Multi-purpose Zone of the Olympics Sports Centre.

The events  included in this year’s Competition were 3-on-3 men’s and women’s basketball games, 3-on-3 men’s football matches as well as basketball and football individual skills contests for men and women. The basketball tournaments were divided into open, junior and juvenile categories for men; open and junior categories for women. The men’s football tournaments featured open, junior and juvenile categories for men.

The organizers hope that the series of Free Sports Ground ball games, with its unique cultural characteristics, can help promote the advantages of practising sports and motivate the public to exercise. They also consider the event an opportunityh to boost the interaction between the city’s sport aficionados and develop social cohension. On the other hand, it can serve as a platform for the youngsters to widen their sports knowledge as well as nurture their passion for the sport, and for the respective sport association to scout  talent in contribution to Macao’s basketball and football development.