Sport in Macau
Encyclopedia
Macau
residents participate in a wide variety of sports for recreation and competition. Football, basketball
, volleyball
, Dragon Boat
, jogging
, swimming
, table tennis
, and badminton
are among the most popular in the community. Local leagues and competitions are organized regularly every year, but owing to Macau's small population (about half a million) professional leagues are financially unfeasible and so most participants are merely local sport enthusiasts.
There are many sport associations and clubs in Macau which frequently organize local or regional sporting events and competitions. Owing to the amateur nature of local sports, all sport associations and clubs in Macau are run by organizations under government subsidies or sponsorships. The Macau Sport Development Board is the department responsible for Macau's sport development, venue operations and organization of major international sport events held in Macau (except the Macau Grand Prix
, which is organized by the Macau Grand Prix Committee ).
Non-professional leagues are organized for clubs to compete with one another. Leagues such as the football league, the basketball league, the volleyball league, dragon boating and the student leagues of various sports are those which attract the largest number of participants.
already. At that time Macau people called dragon boating as in “ba long chuan” (Chinese:扒龍船)or “fish bone boat”(Chinese:魚骨船). During 1979 later, The Macau Sport Development Board organised to have International Dragon Boating competition. The competition will hold once a year during Duanwu Festival (Chinese: 端午節) also known as Dragon Boat Festival. It is one of the traditional and statutory associated with Chinese culture. Therefore, every Duanwu Festival Macau will hold a Dragon Boating competition in Sai Van Lake
.
Dragon Boating becoming more popular during 2003, a lot of young people started to play dragon boat and fellow the Chinese traditional culture.
When people talk about the sport of dragon boating might think their skin must be dark and strong. It is because they use to practice Dragon Boating every afternoon after school and work. Everyone wants to win and it is an honour and fame to their home village, therefore the Dragon Boat athletes spend every afternoon and weekends to practice and cooperate together in the boat. The averages of age that play dragon boat are age between 20 – 40 years in ages. Some team might have age between 15- 30 in ages.
In 2003, the Macao Sport Development Board organised Committee of the 4th East Asian Games of Macao, and the Dragon Boat Association of Macau, China. During 29 October 2005 till 8 November 2005 the committee of the 4th East Asian Games had held an event called 4th East Asian Games. There were more than 20countries and cities from East Asian involved within 50+sports and dragon boating was part of it.
Since 2007 the Macau Sport Development Board has opened up tracks in some sports venues to the public as a means of providing space for joggers and runners. In the past, the tracks were not available to the general public and were only reserved for team training, school's sports day or local competitions. This is especially beneficial to people who live relatively far from the Guia Hill and are interested in jogging or running on a regular basis.
, which competes in international competitions, and there is also Macau Rugby Club, which takes part in various competitions http://www.macaurugby.com/. Beach rugby
and rugby tens tournaments have been held in the territory, and the game benefits from rugby's much stronger presence in neighbouring Hong Kong
.
is an annual motor-racing event which takes place in November. Bearing similarities with the Monaco Grand Prix
circuit in Monte Carlo
, the Macau circuit, known as the Guia Circuit, is a street-circuit bounded by crash barriers with almost no run-off areas. Famous for its combination of fast long straights (a Formula Three
car can reach a top speed of 260 km/h at the end of this stretch ) and uphill-downhill twists, it has been known as one of the most demanding circuit in the world. Every year hundreds of racing drivers and riders from the world gather in the enclave and fight for glory in this circuit. Since the event was upgraded from Formula Atlantic
to Formula Three
, the Macau Grand Prix
has become a stepping stone for future Formula One
drivers, as it has always been a stage for competitions between newly-crowned Formula 3 champions from Britain, Europe, Japan and other Formula 3 championships. Famous drivers include Ayrton Senna
, Michael Schumacher
, Mika Häkkinen
, David Coulthard
, Ralf Schumacher
, Lewis Hamilton
etc.
Due to the historical value of the event and its substantial contribution to Macau's tourism industry, a museum named the Grand Prix Museum has been established as a place where fans can recapture their fond memories of the event's past and present. More than 20 racing cars which have been driven by world-renowned names in the motorsport world, electric-operated motor cars, racing accessories and videos related to the Grand Prix are displayed in the museum. Visitors can capture the history of motor-racing in Macau in the past 40 years. The museum also displays many historical pictures of breathtaking races in the past, and 2 racing simulators are provided for visitors to have a feel of racing.
series in 1994 for the first time and since then Macau has held the event annually except in 2003 and 2004 when the venue, Macau Forum, was under renovation for the 2005 East Asian Games
.
Macau was also the venue for the 2001 Final.
is a professional golf
tournament
which is held in May each year since 1998 and is one of the rounds of the Asian Tour
. It is played at the Macau Golf and Country Club situated at Coloane
, Macau
. Famous winners include Lee Westwood
(1999 Champion) and Colin Montgomerie
(2003 Champion).
in 2007 was granted to Macau at the Olympic Council of Asia
(OCA) General Assembly Meeting, which was held in Kuwait
on 24 January 2003. At the same meeting, the locally designed emblem
of the Macau 2007, 2nd Asian Indoor Games was also unanimously approved. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has established the Asian Indoor Games as a competition that will take place every two years and will introduce certain kinds of sports with TV broadcasting potential but not necessarily competed in the traditional Asian Games
or Olympic Games
. The competition program was composed of six to eight kinds of sports with strong television appeal, including extreme sports, aerobics
, acrobatics
, indoor athletics
, dancesport
, futsal
, inline hockey
, finswimming
, and 25 metres short course swimming
. The Games were held between 26 October and 3 November 2007.
Association (EAGA) Council meeting held in Guam
in March 1996 awarded Macau the right to host the 4th East Asian Games. They were held between October 29, 2005 and November 6, 2005. China
, Japan
, South Korea
, North Korea
, Hong Kong
, Mongolia
, Chinese Taipei
, Guam
sent a total of more than 2,800 athletes and officials.
There were 17 sports and 235 events at the games, which included:
Aquatics, Athletics
, Basketball
, Bowling
, Dancesport
, Dragon boat
, football, Gymnastics
, Hockey
, Rowing
,
Karate-do, Shooting
, Soft tennis, Taekwondo
, Tennis
, Weightlifting, and Wushu
By utilizing and swirling the five symbolic colors from the Olympic Rings together, the emblem of the games displayed the Olympic Spirit in a new guise. It also reflected the dynamic power of the Five Elements
- Metal
, Wood
, Water
, Fire
and Earth
.
The Mascot of 4th East Asian Games
was a squirrel called "Pak Pak (柏柏)". "Pak Pak" comes from Macau's Guia Hill where there are lots of Fir
trees, and is also the site of the oldest lighthouse
on the Chinese coast - the Guia Lighthouse.
, the Macau Olympic Committee, it is not a member of the International Olympic Committee
(IOC), so cannot compete at the Olympics. It is however a member of the Olympic Council of Asia
(OCA), since 1989, and so can compete at the Asian Games
.
(NPC), and it is a member of the International Paralympic Committee
(IPC). Macau has competed at the Paralympics since 1980.
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
residents participate in a wide variety of sports for recreation and competition. Football, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, Dragon Boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
, jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, and badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
are among the most popular in the community. Local leagues and competitions are organized regularly every year, but owing to Macau's small population (about half a million) professional leagues are financially unfeasible and so most participants are merely local sport enthusiasts.
There are many sport associations and clubs in Macau which frequently organize local or regional sporting events and competitions. Owing to the amateur nature of local sports, all sport associations and clubs in Macau are run by organizations under government subsidies or sponsorships. The Macau Sport Development Board is the department responsible for Macau's sport development, venue operations and organization of major international sport events held in Macau (except the Macau Grand Prix
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in Macau, one of China's Special Administrative Regions. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held...
, which is organized by the Macau Grand Prix Committee ).
Sport participation among the locals
There are over 50 sport associations in Macau. Their roles and responsibilities include organizing local and regional competitions, youth training, promoting sports to the local community, co-ordinating with the authorities to organize international sporting events and competitions. Under these associations there are hundreds of different sport clubs registered to the authority.Non-professional leagues are organized for clubs to compete with one another. Leagues such as the football league, the basketball league, the volleyball league, dragon boating and the student leagues of various sports are those which attract the largest number of participants.
Football
In Macau, football is very popular and apart from playing the standard 11-a-side football, there is also another football league which uses smaller artificial pitches (75 × 50 metres) and smaller football (size No. 4, instead of No. 5 in standard football matches). This is mainly due to the lack of standard-size football pitches and it is easier to build and maintain smaller artificial pitches.Basketball
Basketball is another popular sport in Macau. The game is generally played under FIVB rules and basketball courts (both outdoor and indoor) are widely available to the public. Non-professional basketball leagues are held each year and players who have decent performance in these leagues are generally selected for the Macau SAR Team.Dragon Boating
Dragon Boating has been nearly 100year of history in MacauMacau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
already. At that time Macau people called dragon boating as in “ba long chuan” (Chinese:扒龍船)or “fish bone boat”(Chinese:魚骨船). During 1979 later, The Macau Sport Development Board organised to have International Dragon Boating competition. The competition will hold once a year during Duanwu Festival (Chinese: 端午節) also known as Dragon Boat Festival. It is one of the traditional and statutory associated with Chinese culture. Therefore, every Duanwu Festival Macau will hold a Dragon Boating competition in Sai Van Lake
Sai Van Lake
Sai Van Lake is one of two man made lakes in the Macau Peninsula. It is located at the southern tip of the peninsula.The lake was once a bay and closed off by infill. Sai Van means West Bay....
.
Dragon Boating becoming more popular during 2003, a lot of young people started to play dragon boat and fellow the Chinese traditional culture.
When people talk about the sport of dragon boating might think their skin must be dark and strong. It is because they use to practice Dragon Boating every afternoon after school and work. Everyone wants to win and it is an honour and fame to their home village, therefore the Dragon Boat athletes spend every afternoon and weekends to practice and cooperate together in the boat. The averages of age that play dragon boat are age between 20 – 40 years in ages. Some team might have age between 15- 30 in ages.
In 2003, the Macao Sport Development Board organised Committee of the 4th East Asian Games of Macao, and the Dragon Boat Association of Macau, China. During 29 October 2005 till 8 November 2005 the committee of the 4th East Asian Games had held an event called 4th East Asian Games. There were more than 20countries and cities from East Asian involved within 50+sports and dragon boating was part of it.
Jogging and running
Jogging and running are popular among the middle-aged and elder ones. Most of them jog or run early in the morning or in the evening along a public footpath surrounding the Guia Hill in the Macau Peninsula, which is well-known among the locals because of its ideal nature for running or jogging – no vehicle traffic, path surrounded by trees and bushes, loop-path, tarmac paving, path wide enough for either directions. Sometimes local running competitions are held up there.Since 2007 the Macau Sport Development Board has opened up tracks in some sports venues to the public as a means of providing space for joggers and runners. In the past, the tracks were not available to the general public and were only reserved for team training, school's sports day or local competitions. This is especially beneficial to people who live relatively far from the Guia Hill and are interested in jogging or running on a regular basis.
Rugby
Macau has a national rugby union sideMacau national rugby union team
The Macau national rugby union team represents Macau in international rugby union. Macau are a member of the International Rugby Board , and have yet to play in a Rugby World Cup tournament....
, which competes in international competitions, and there is also Macau Rugby Club, which takes part in various competitions http://www.macaurugby.com/. Beach rugby
Beach Rugby
Beach rugby is a sport that can be based on either of the rugby football codes, league or union. There is no centralized regulation of the sport as in beach soccer or beach volleyball, but leagues are common across Europe, and the sport is particularly popular in Italy...
and rugby tens tournaments have been held in the territory, and the game benefits from rugby's much stronger presence in neighbouring Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand PrixMacau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in Macau, one of China's Special Administrative Regions. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held...
is an annual motor-racing event which takes place in November. Bearing similarities with the Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world, alongside the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans...
circuit in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, the Macau circuit, known as the Guia Circuit, is a street-circuit bounded by crash barriers with almost no run-off areas. Famous for its combination of fast long straights (a Formula Three
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers...
car can reach a top speed of 260 km/h at the end of this stretch ) and uphill-downhill twists, it has been known as one of the most demanding circuit in the world. Every year hundreds of racing drivers and riders from the world gather in the enclave and fight for glory in this circuit. Since the event was upgraded from Formula Atlantic
Formula Atlantic
Formula Atlantic is a specification of open wheel racing car developed in the 1970s. It was used in professional racing through the IMSA Atlantic Championship until 2009 and is currently primarily used in amateur racing through Sports Car Club of America Formula Atlantic.-History:The history of...
to Formula Three
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers...
, the Macau Grand Prix
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in Macau, one of China's Special Administrative Regions. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held...
has become a stepping stone for future Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
drivers, as it has always been a stage for competitions between newly-crowned Formula 3 champions from Britain, Europe, Japan and other Formula 3 championships. Famous drivers include Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
, Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
, Mika Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...
, David Coulthard
David Coulthard
David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...
, Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...
, Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
etc.
Due to the historical value of the event and its substantial contribution to Macau's tourism industry, a museum named the Grand Prix Museum has been established as a place where fans can recapture their fond memories of the event's past and present. More than 20 racing cars which have been driven by world-renowned names in the motorsport world, electric-operated motor cars, racing accessories and videos related to the Grand Prix are displayed in the museum. Visitors can capture the history of motor-racing in Macau in the past 40 years. The museum also displays many historical pictures of breathtaking races in the past, and 2 racing simulators are provided for visitors to have a feel of racing.
FIVB Volleyball Grand Prix
Macau was granted the right to host a round of the FIVB Volleyball Grand PrixVolleyball Grand Prix
The FIVB World Grand Prix is a women's volleyball competition. Played every year since 1993, it is considered the women's version of the FIVB World League. In 2004, it distributed US$ 1.295 million in prizes.-Origins:...
series in 1994 for the first time and since then Macau has held the event annually except in 2003 and 2004 when the venue, Macau Forum, was under renovation for the 2005 East Asian Games
East Asian Games
The East Asian Games is a multi-sport event organised by the East Asian Games Association and held every four years since 1993 among athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic Council of Asia , as well as the Pacific island of Guam, which is a member of the Oceania National...
.
Macau was also the venue for the 2001 Final.
Macau Open (Golf)
The Macau OpenMacau Open
The Macau Open was a men's professional golf tournament on the Asian Tour which took place in Macau. It was founded in 1998. The venue was the Macau Golf & Country Club at Coloane. The best known golfer who won the tournament is eight-time European Tour Order of Merit champion Colin Montgomerie...
is a professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
which is held in May each year since 1998 and is one of the rounds of the Asian Tour
Asian Tour
The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...
. It is played at the Macau Golf and Country Club situated at Coloane
Coloane
Coloane is one of the two main islands of the Macau Special Administrative Region, located directly south of Macau's other main island, Taipa , and east of Hengqin Island of Zhuhai in Guangdong province....
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
. Famous winners include Lee Westwood
Lee Westwood
Lee John Westwood OBE is an English professional golfer. Noted for his consistency, Westwood is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on every major continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He was named player of the year for the 1998, 2000, and 2009 seasons...
(1999 Champion) and Colin Montgomerie
Colin Montgomerie
Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...
(2003 Champion).
Macau International Marathron
The Macau Internation Marathron is held in December every year. There are three categories in the competition: the Marathron, the Half Marathron and the Mini Marathron.2007 Asian Indoor Games
The right to host the second edition of the spectacular Asian Indoor GamesAsian Indoor Games
The Asian Indoor Games is a multi-sport event held every two years among athletes representing countries from Asia. The games are regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia. The first games were held in 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand....
in 2007 was granted to Macau at the Olympic Council of Asia
Olympic Council of Asia
The Olympic Council of Asia is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current president is Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah. The oldest NOC is from Japan and Philippines, recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1911; whereas East Timor is...
(OCA) General Assembly Meeting, which was held in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
on 24 January 2003. At the same meeting, the locally designed emblem
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
of the Macau 2007, 2nd Asian Indoor Games was also unanimously approved. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has established the Asian Indoor Games as a competition that will take place every two years and will introduce certain kinds of sports with TV broadcasting potential but not necessarily competed in the traditional Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
or Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. The competition program was composed of six to eight kinds of sports with strong television appeal, including extreme sports, aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
, acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, indoor athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
, dancesport
DanceSport
Dancesport denotes competitive ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. It is wheelchair dancesport where at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair....
, futsal
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón , which can be translated as "hall football" or "indoor football"...
, inline hockey
Inline hockey
Inline hockey, often referred to as roller hockey in the United States, is a sport similar to ice hockey but played with inline skates. Like its parent sport, skaters on two teams use hockey sticks to direct a disk-shaped puck into the opponent's goal; however, various details of the game, such as...
, finswimming
Finswimming
Finswimming is the progression of a swimmer using monofins or normal swimfins either on the water surface or underwater, using only muscle strength. It is a discipline of underwater sports. The competition distances are same as for swimming...
, and 25 metres short course swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
. The Games were held between 26 October and 3 November 2007.
2005 East Asian Games
The 4th East Asian GamesEast Asian Games
The East Asian Games is a multi-sport event organised by the East Asian Games Association and held every four years since 1993 among athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic Council of Asia , as well as the Pacific island of Guam, which is a member of the Oceania National...
Association (EAGA) Council meeting held in Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
in March 1996 awarded Macau the right to host the 4th East Asian Games. They were held between October 29, 2005 and November 6, 2005. China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games and Asian Para Games...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
sent a total of more than 2,800 athletes and officials.
There were 17 sports and 235 events at the games, which included:
Aquatics, Athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
, Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, Bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, Dancesport
DanceSport
Dancesport denotes competitive ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. It is wheelchair dancesport where at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair....
, Dragon boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
, football, Gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, Hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, Rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
,
Karate-do, Shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
, Soft tennis, Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, Weightlifting, and Wushu
Wushu (sport)
The sport of wushu is both an exhibition and a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts. It was created in the People's Republic of China after 1949, in an attempt to nationalize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts...
By utilizing and swirling the five symbolic colors from the Olympic Rings together, the emblem of the games displayed the Olympic Spirit in a new guise. It also reflected the dynamic power of the Five Elements
Five elements
Five elements may refer to: In philosophy: *Five elements *Mahabhuta*Pancha Tattva *Five elements In science:*Boron, element 5*Group 5 element*Period 5 element-See also:...
- Metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
, Wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, Water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, Fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
and Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
The Mascot of 4th East Asian Games
was a squirrel called "Pak Pak (柏柏)". "Pak Pak" comes from Macau's Guia Hill where there are lots of Fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
trees, and is also the site of the oldest lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
on the Chinese coast - the Guia Lighthouse.
Olympic Sport
Macau has a National Olympic CommitteeNational Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...
, the Macau Olympic Committee, it is not a member of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC), so cannot compete at the Olympics. It is however a member of the Olympic Council of Asia
Olympic Council of Asia
The Olympic Council of Asia is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current president is Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah. The oldest NOC is from Japan and Philippines, recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1911; whereas East Timor is...
(OCA), since 1989, and so can compete at the Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
.
Paralympic Sport
Macau has a National Paralympic CommitteeNational Paralympic Committee
National Paralympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Paralympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Paralympic Committee , they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Paralympic Games.The Paralympic Games are a major...
(NPC), and it is a member of the International Paralympic Committee
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports...
(IPC). Macau has competed at the Paralympics since 1980.