In order to strengthen the bond, as well as expand exchanges and cooperation between the Macao SAR and Fujian Province in the field of sport, from 2nd to 6th January, the Vice President of the Sport Development Board, Mr. José Tavares led a delegation on a visit to Fujian Province for sports exchanges.
The Sport Development Board and the Sports Bureau of Fujian Province signed the “Sports Exchange and Cooperation Letter of Intent between Fujian and Macao” in 2012. The letter of intent bears a positive impact on the developments of competitive and mass sports in the two regions. It serves to help the two sides complement each other with their respective strengths, share each another’s resources and information to train athletic talents and improve the regions’ overall sports performance as well as to help facilitate their sports, cultural, social and economic developments.
During their visit, the members of the delegation were well-received by the Director of the Sports Bureau of Fujian Province Mr. Xu Zhengguo and the leaders of other relevant departments. The delegation also visited the Fujian Olympic Sports Center, the Fujian Sports Vocational Education and Technical College and the Fujian Weight-lifting Training Center. The members attended a meeting with the personnel concerned to exchange their experiences in the trainings of athletes, mass sports development as well as the running and managements of sports premises in the two regions. In the meantime, by referring to the regions’ sports development models, the ways to foster their cooperation in the field of sport were discussed.
On 5th January, the delegation went to Xiamen together with the members of Macao Association of Athletics to watch the annual Xiamen International Marathon and exchange their work experiences with the event’s organizing committee. Xiamen International Marathon earned the title of Gold Label for Road Race from the International Association of Athletics Federations. With nearly 80,000 runners and a large supporting crew, it is one of the most distinguished marathons in China. Experiences gained from this event is relevant and worth learning to Macao with regard to organizing its marathon and other long running road races.
