The Macau International Marathon has been successfully hosted for thirty three years with the aim of developing local sports, strengthening friendship between people from different parts of the world and promoting sport tourism in Macau.

“With a long history rooted in the community of the city, the Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon has become one of the most popular sport events,” said Jose Tavares, President of Macau Sport Development Board of the Macau SAR Government.

“Through continuous enhancement, the event has been attracting long distance runners around the world, which raises the event profile and successfully attracts attention, locally and abroad.”

The 2015 Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon took place on the Sunday 6th December 2015, organised by the Macao Sport Development Board and the General Association of Athletics of Macau.

“As the host of the event, we are dedicated to conduct welI-rounded preparation to welcome each and every participant with warm hospitality, as we believe that ideal conditions will optimise opportunities of better results,” said Tavares.

2015 marked the tenth anniversary of the inscription of the historic centre of Macau on the World Heritage List. The Macau International Marathon once again traversed the UNESCO world heritage site, passing through the A-Ma Temple. 

The race started at the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Taipa and, for the first time, ran through the Hengqin campus of the University of Macau. 

The event coincided with the “Parade through Macau, Latin City”, creating synergistic effects between the marathon, local tourism and culture. 

“We are offering diversified programs and festive galas to sincerely welcome marathon lovers from different parts of the world,” said Alexis Tam Chon Weng, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government. 

“This year's international marathon will integrate more cultural and tourism elements and provide a diversity of choices and wonderful experiences to participants and tourists. 

“This not only demonstrates our friendliness and hospitality, but it also reflects the government's determination to establish Macau as a ‘World Centre of Tourism and Leisure’.”

Global popularity 

The Macau International Marathon continues to grow in size, with participants from 50 countries from around the world participating.  

“The number of this year's marathon runners has reached its new heights and this historical sport of long-distance running has been gaining more and more popularity around the world,” said Alexis Tam Chon Weng, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government.

“Marathon, which signifies limits, difficulties and challenges, also stands for endeavour, perseverance and triumph. And all because of the difficulties, people can fully experience the spirits of sportsmanship like righteousness, courage, honour and happiness.”

In 2015, 8,000 athletes from 50 countries and regions participated, up from a quota of 6000 the previous year. The quota for the half marathon was full on the first day of registration while the general marathon was full on the second day of registration. Managing this growth is no small task.

“In order to cater to the needs of the rising number of running lovers, the organising committee has dedicated to create better conditions and overcome difficulties in increasing the registration quota,” said Ma Lao Hang, President of General Association of Athletics of Macau.

“All members from the General Association of Athletics of Macau, race judges and staff are committed to get every aspect of the event well prepared and provide the best conditions for all participants to create remarkable records.”

The Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon is a truly global event, with former winners from Belarus, China, North Korea, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Italy, Kenya, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. 

2015 was a good year for the Ukraine in Macau, with Vitaly Shafar and Olena Shurkhno winning the men’s and women’s general marathon respectively. The total prize money, awarded for the first ten finishing athletes in the different categories, amounts to US$187,000. 

“With the number of participants being increased annually, better and better results have been made,” said Ma Lao Hang. 

“The Macau International Marathon has always been an annual major event, we will move forward with all the participants to continue the long history of the Macau International Marathon and create legends for the sport development of Macau.”

[Source: SportAccord] The Sports Bureau of Macau SAR Government has renewed its long-running Gold Partner status at SportAccord’s World Sport & Business Summit for the 2021 edition of the international sports movement’s most influential global gathering in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

The Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government has an established presence at SportAccord’s flagship annual gathering, having supported the event since the 2008 edition in Athens, Greece.

As a Gold Partner once again next year, the Sports Bureau will be provided with a prestigious platform for connecting with sport’s most influential decision-makers who will come together for a week of high-level meetings, engaging conferences and a bustling exhibition, from 23-28 May 2021.

The Sports Bureau seeks to promote sport at all levels with athletes and citizens alike. It focuses on creating the necessary conditions for the development of sport and plays an active role between sports associations, as well as encouraging citizens to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Nis Hatt, Managing Director, SportAccord, said: “The Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government’s unwavering support illustrates the organisation’s commitment, not only to SportAccord and the World Sport & Business Summit, but also to staying at the forefront of the international sporting community’s minds with their continued involvement and support.”

Pun Weng Kun, President of the Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government added: “We are honoured to return again as one of the Gold Partners for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2021 in Ekaterinburg. We look forward to enhancing Macau’s profile as an active sport city, making contributions to the positive growth and development in the global sport industry and being a significant part of the success of the event.”

The annual World Sport & Business Summit is a six-day event attended by leaders of the global sports community. As the only global sports industry event attended by all International Sport Federations and their stakeholders, SportAccord also brings together organising committees, hosting cities and regions, governments and administrations, rights-holders, agencies and athletes, as well as top-level experts and organisations from the sports media, technology, investment, medical and legal sectors.

The conference programme will feature six streams – CityAccord, HealthAccord, LawAccord, MediaAccord, the SportAccord Summit, and the new InvestAccord – with numerous influential speakers set to offer unmissable insights into a variety of vital areas in sport.

Registration is open for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2021 in Ekaterinburg.

Situated on the banks on the Iset River, Ekaterinburg is Russia’s fourth-largest city by population, and is a hotspot for tourism and business, as well as sport, as the home to numerous professional teams.

Organisations interested in becoming an official partner or exhibitor can contact SportAccord to discuss these investment opportunities by emailing sales@sportaccord.sport, with SportAccord also offering an interactive exhibition floorplan and 3-D flyover of the SportAccord 2021 exhibition space.

You can follow SportAccord’s portfolio of events via Twitter @sportaccord or keep up-to-date via LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Flickr.

Host City: What can delegates expect at the upcoming SPORTELAsia conference – what are the big topics on the agenda?

Laurent Puons: I am definitely interested to learn more about the latest opportunities for each of Asia’s key sports business markets. Each market is unique and making their own path, which is fascinating. Some key themes across these markets will be understanding how local markets are adapting to the growth of OTT, how rights holders are unlocking value through digital and understanding the latest developments in esports.

Host City: Why are you hosting the event in Macau – what will the visitor experience be like there?

Laurent Puons: SPORTELAsia has not been back to the Far East since SPORTELAsia 2014 in Shanghai and a lot has happened in the industry since then. We need to be in the Far East this year and Macau is strategically located for our community to come together and do business in Asia.

Host City: How does this event compare to SPORTELMonaco?

Laurent Puons: SPORTELMonaco is our global convention, which has over 3,000 sports media and technology executives from across the world. It has been held in Monaco for over 30 years and is a fantastic representation of the state of the global industry.

SPORTEL Spring Conventions on the other hand are unique opportunities in strategic sports business markets, which provide our community with the opportunity to do business in new territories.

Host City: How and why is SPORTEL changing its event formats to serve the demands of the market?

Laurent Puons: I am looking forward to seeing some of our new initiatives come to fruition. As requested by our community, we have developed new tailor-made exhibitor packages and organised a number of esports conference programme events with some of the leaders of the industry, which I am really looking forward to.

[Source: SPORTEL] For its upcoming spring market, the world’s leading sports media and technology convention returns to the Far East, in the vibrant city of Macao from 5th to 7th of March 2019 at the luxurious JW Marriott Hotel.

“We are very excited about this edition of SPORTEL because this event has not been held in the Far East since SPORTELAsia 2014, in Shanghai” stated Mr. Laurent PUONS, CEO of Monaco Mediax.

SPORTELAsia is now positioned as an elite industry event embracing the growth markets of China and throughout Asia, providing its international community a great platform for developing business and networking opportunities with Asian Pacific markets.

The shortlist of the currently registered companies has already been released. Among them: BEIN  PORTS, DENTSU, FIGHTSPORTS, INFRONT, ITTF, LALIGA, MATCHROOM SPORT, NBA, NETCO SPORTS, NEULION, PERFORM GROUP, SPORTRADAR, TMG, VIZRT… and much more

Conference Programme overview

TELSTRA E-SPORTS PANEL

The Rise of e-Sports - Opportunities for Growth

Esports is an exploding area of interest and revenue growth for sports media and marketing companies, with significant year on year growth in industry activity and maturity over the last few years. Asia leads this trend with an established video games and esports ecosystem and exciting new investments that are further accelerating the opportunities for growth.

OCEANS E-SPORT PANEL

e-Sports in China, Challenges and the Future

The status quo of Esports in China, the possible opportunities and the problems encountered. What is the future of Esports in the bigger sports family ? Could it be part Olympic family ?

YUTANG Media Panel

Working with Chinese media to raise the influence of sports properties in China

As China upgrade sports-related domestic consumption and encourage broadcasts of sports events, the market presents more potentials for sports properties and media and are very live.

How do sports properties and media work and collaborate with each other, to increase the influence of sports and sports broadcasts in China, to make more people become sports audiences, to contribute to business growth?

LaLiga PRESENTATION

For more information visit https://www.sportelasia.com/ 

SPORTEL is proud to announce that SPORTELAsia 2019 will be held in the vibrant city of Macau from the 5th to 7th of March 2019 at the luxurious JW Marriott Hotel.

Known as the "Vegas of China", the city is the ideal location for the international SPORTEL Community to come together for business and develop opportunities with new key stakeholders across important Far East Markets.

Mr Laurent Puons, SPORTEL CEO, stated:

"We are very excited about this edition of SPORTEL because this event has not been held in the Far East since SPORTELAsia 2014 in Shanghai. The global sports industry and its Asian markets have drastically evolved since 2014 and I believe this is one of the main reasons our community have chosen Macau as its preferred destination for SPORTELAsia 2019."