Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu led the local ceremony at the Velodrome in Tseung Kwan O, which went ahead despite the city getting its second black rainstorm warning in a week.
Lee later headed across the border to take part in an event in Shenzhen, which followed earlier activities in Guangzhou and Macau.
Joined at the cycling track by Beijing’s liaison chief in Hong Kong, Zhou Ji, culture and sports minister Rosanna Law Shuk-pui and Yeung Tak-keung, the head of the local National Games Coordination Office, Lee said the city would use all its advantages to “contribute to the country’s efforts in becoming a powerful sports nation”.
“Hong Kong will also use the Games to further develop the sports industry within the Greater Bay Area, promote youth sports exchange and allow more residents, including those with disabilities, to enjoy sports,” the chief executive added.
The Games, which will run from November 9 to 21, will feature more than 400 events across 34 sports, with Hong Kong hosting eight – fencing, men’s under-22 basketball, track cycling, golf, men’s handball, rugby sevens, triathlon and beach volleyball.
