Plans to turn the city into a sporting hub for the region is fast gaining ground as the private sector starts financing international events
The gambling Mecca of Macau has become a sports entertainment hub. Macau organised the East Asian Games in 2005 followed by the Lusofonia Games last year, the Olympics for Portuguese-speaking nations, and will host the Asian Indoor Games in November.
Manuel Silverio, chairman of the organising committee for the three events, had said: 'We are cleaning up our image to show that Macau is not just for gambling. Through these [sporting] events we are making a big contribution to the development of sports and culture in Macau.'
Mr Silverio said that Macau could become an international 'model city' in the area of sports tourism. 'The East Asian Games put us on an unstoppable path,' he said. 'Our aim is to turn the city into a sporting capital for the region. We want to have top-quality sports events in Macau all year round.'
Walter Ho King-yan, assistant professor in the department of education at the University of Macau, said the government had become more aggressive in bidding for international sports events, more supportive of local events and more willing to spend money on training.
'The government has realised the importance of sports amid Macau's booming economy. The government sees how sports events can help build the city's image and it understands how important physical health helps the sustainable development of Macau,' said Professor Ho, who has written papers on 'A study on the use of community sports facilities' and 'Convergent process and diversified growth of national sport experience in this global village'. He also teaches courses in sports and health developments.
