2015 The Government’s Policies on Sports

In 2015, the government will continue the dual sports policy in development of Sport for All and competitive sports. Taking the opportunity of department functional restructuring, the government will integrate and improve all sports facilities in Macao to provide better condition for the development of Sport for All. The government conduct the 3^rd Macao Residents Physical Fitness Assessment to consolidate the scientific basis for sports policy in an effort to promote the healthy message of sport participation.   Meanwhile, the government will promote ‘green’ construction of sports venues to create environmentally-friendly and high-quality sports venues; it will also increase the diversity of sports activities to attract more youngsters to engage in sports training.

To cope with the need for the development of competitive sports and the changes in international high-level multi-sport games, the government will revise the regulation of incentive awards in order to encourage athletes to achieve better performance. The government will also actively cultivate local sport talent, boosting training for young athletes and strengthening the athlete tier system. Further, the government will facilitate regional sport exchange program and support athletes participating in international sports events abroad to gain more experience and elevate their level.

1. Optimise Venue Service; Increase Public Interest in Sport

To cultivate the public interest and habit of sport practice, and to realise the goal of ‘Sport for All’, the government will host a variety of sports activities. It will strengthen its co-operation with non-governmental organizations and unleash potential resources in the community for the organization of more fitness and recreational classes at the residents’ interest; meanwhile, it will continue to host various large-scale international sports events to enhance Macau’s image as a healthy city.

In order to encourage teenagers to actively participate in sports training and activities to improve their health status, the government will increase the number of sports events suitable for teenagers, offering more opportunity for them to exercise.

The government will strengthen its co-operation with non-governmental organisations and encourage them to make use of their sports facilities to organise Sport for All activities, which allow more residents to participate in physical exercise and activities. Also, it will endeavor to attract more non-governmental organisations and schools to include their sports facilities in the ‘Public Sports Facilities Network’, in the hope of providing more sports space and relieving the pressure on the demand for public sports facilities.

2.Conduct Residents’ Physical Fitness Assessment; Promote the Concept of Heath and Sports

In association with the quinquennial National Physical Fitness Study, and to comprehend the Macao residents’ physical fitness current status and changing pattern, the government has conducted the third Macao Residents Physical Fitness Assessment in 2015. Through the assessment, the government can recognize the changing physical fitness pattern of residents of the past five years and enrich the physical fitness database. The statistics will serve as the basis for government’s sport policies and the guidance for Sport for All as well as scientific sports training; it will also act as a reference for the government policies in areas such as health, education and social welfare.

Through the regular physical fitness assessment service, and promotion of the knowledge of sports science, the government will continue to promote the concept of health and sports to all residents and guide them to master correct exercise methods and skills to enhance the effectiveness of sport training.

3. Accelerate the Construction Progress of Facilities; Propel Green Standard Authentication

Taking the opportunity of department functional restructuring, the government will integrate local sports  facilities and through merging and adjusting the usage sequence, the government will increase operating hours to maximise the usage effectiveness of sports facilities so as to best serve the needs of residents and sport associations.

The government will follow up the construction and planning works of several sport facilities and co-ordinate with the public works department to accelerate the reconstruction of Mong Ha Sport Pavilion.  It will also work on with the approval on the drawing of the Athlete Training Centre, and speed up the commencement of its relevant works at the earliest possible. The sports department will also actively participate in the preparation work of the new reclaimed urban area for a better development of sport space in the future.

The government continues to apply different environmentally-friendly and energy saving measures on the sports venues, and gradually implement the green standard authentication for the venues. It will also continue to upgrade the modern sports equipment by maintenance and renovation to ensure proper operation of such venues for the provision of conservational and high-quality sports venues to the public.

4. Boost Incentive Support to Facilitate Development of Competitive Sports

In view of the alterations, addition or termination of a number of international high-level multi-sport events in recent years, the two existing regulations for sports incentive awards should be kept up to date to accommodate the development of competitive sports. Therefore, the government will amend the two regulations, including the re-adjustment of the category of sports events and prize money, so as to better encourage athletes, coaches and technical staff who have contributed to the local sports industry.

The government continues to promote the Training Subsidy Programme for Elite Athletes to support athletes devoted in training, and to encourage retired elite athletes to join the Education Subsidy Programme for Retired Elite Athletes, so that they can continue studies and serve the sports industry.  It will support and subsidize sports associations to employ professional coaches and technical staff to raise the technical quality of training; will reinforce training for local athletes, and improve the coaching system to elevate their professional capacity. It will also optimise all sports facilities to provide more suitable training venues for athletes.

The government will also develop more potential sports and establish new youth sports training academy to drive improvement to young training program and the athlete tier system, with an aim to cultivate more potential resources for the sustainable development of competitive sports.

5.Strengthen Regional Co-operation; Promote Sports Events

The government will actively support sports associations to participate in works of international or asian sports federation, and to attend training or conferences hosted by international sports organizations in order to adopt advanced sports knowledge and skills from abroad; it will also encourage exchange with sports organisations in other countries or regions to propel the development of local sports. 

The government will extend exchange and co-operation with sports organizations in China or aboard, providing diversified exchanges or learning opportunities for Macao athletes. Furthermore, it supports sports associations to organize athletes participating in intensive training and international sports competitions outside Macao, so that athletes are given the opportunity to compete with athletes from other countries and regions and raising their own technical competence.

To widen the sports horizon and to enrich recreational life for the local public, the sports department will continue to host branding events such as the ‘Macau International Dragon Boat Races’, ‘Macau (Golf) Open’ and ‘Macau International Marathon’; and through close co-operation with other departments, it will host more large-scale international sports events to create synergy effects, offering citizens and tourists more opportunities to watch high-level competitions. Making use of the reputation and influence of international competitions, it can help Macao to further promote its image of tourism and leisure city, helping its development of sports and tourism.