The first batch of tickets for the 15th National Games and the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities went on sale yesterday (Aug. 28), with spectators able to purchase e-tickets through a unified online platform and paper tickets through official offline ticket sales outlets distributed across Guangdong and Hong Kong.
Among them, 11 designated sales points of Hong Kong China Travel Service sold the first batch of physical tickets for four events in Hong Kong. The ticket purchase process took only 10 to 15 minutes per person, and the order was well-maintained on-site. Some were entrusted by overseas relatives and friends to snap up tickets for the rugby sevens finals, planning to return to Hong Kong to watch the games. The online ticket sales process was also smooth and efficient, with tickets for the finals of some popular events selling out in less than an hour.
Chief Executive John Lee posted a video on social media urging citizens to actively purchase tickets.
"This is the first time Hong Kong is co-hosting the National Games with Guangdong and Macao. Everyone has the opportunity to witness this national-level event in person and cheer for the athletes. It's a rare opportunity," he said in the post.
The first batch of tickets for events in Hong Kong covered four events: beach volleyball, handball (men's), basketball (men's U22), and rugby sevens. Among them, the cheapest were the men's handball preliminaries, priced at just 50 yuan (HK$55), while the most expensive were the men's U22 basketball quarter-finals and finals, costing 500 yuan (HK$549).
A Wen Wei Po reporter visited multiple China Travel Service sales points yesterday morning. Some citizens arrived early to wait for sales to begin. Due to the real-name registration requirement, citizens had to fill out information forms and present identification or relevant copies for verification. Lee, who arrived nearly an hour early at the Wan Chai China Travel Service branch to wait, said she was not familiar with online ticket purchasing and thus came in person to buy four physical tickets for basketball games for her family.
Student wants physical tickets as souvenirs
Pan, a student who will soon enter secondary two, planned to buy one ticket each for beach volleyball and men's handball. He explained that since it was his first time attending the National Games, he wanted physical tickets as souvenirs and thus came to purchase them in person.
He also praised the real-name ticketing system, which helps prevent hoarding or scalping. The ticket purchase process took only 20 minutes, and the overall procedure was smooth.
At the sales outlet in Mong Kok China Travel Service, the ticket purchase process took only about 10 to 15 minutes per person after sales began, and order was well-maintained on-site. Mr. Su, who arrived early and was first in line, said he traveled from Tsuen Wan to Mong Kok specifically to buy tickets for the rugby sevens finals for himself and his relatives to support the Hong Kong rugby team.
"Because my relatives are coming all the way from overseas to watch the games, I made sure to arrive early to secure the tickets," he said.
Due to the real-name system, he needed to fill out a registration form, which took about 10 minutes.
Online consultations with sufficient human support
The first batch of tickets for the 15th National Games officially went on sale yesterday morning. The organizing committee set up a ticketing call center in Guangzhou to provide domestic and international audiences with consultation services, such as event information inquiries. Shortly after the center launched, it received a high volume of calls from audiences both domestically and abroad seeking assistance.
It is understood that the ticketing call center is equipped with hotline numbers 125305 (domestic) and 4001125305 (international), offering tailored multilingual support, including Mandarin and Cantonese, to meet the consultation needs of audiences from different regions. The official ticketing hotline not only includes intelligent automated voice response (IVR) but is also staffed by professionals who can comprehensively address common questions such as ticketing policies, purchase and collection procedures, event schedule changes, venue transportation guidance, and entry requirements, providing a convenient and efficient consultation experience for the public.
According to the on-site supervisor of the ticketing call center, the center is staffed by approximately 40 customer service personnel working in shifts, with nearly 20 providing service on the first day. Among them, four positions are dedicated to providing English-language service, while other staff are proficient in both Mandarin and Cantonese.
"After the service launched, consultation calls came in densely. Besides calls from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, there were also many overseas calls from countries and regions such as the United States, Brazil, and Chile, primarily from local overseas Chinese," said the supervisor. He noted that over half of the callers used Cantonese, indicating high attention to the National Games from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region.
Multi-city hosting model
This edition of the National Games will not feature a centralized athletes' village. Instead, events will be distributed across 19 cities, including Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, making it the edition with the most host cities.
A senior official responsible stated that hosting events across multiple cities allows everyone to have different experiences. "It lets everyone experience the cuisine, beautiful scenery, and unique cultures of various places. Among these 19 cities, there are mountainous cities surrounded by peaks and coastal cities with blue seas and skies."
On the other hand, 90% of the venues hosting events in the Guangdong area are upgraded existing venues.
The official cited an example: "The Guangdong Olympic Sports Center, which will host the opening ceremony and track and field events, has introduced an intelligent navigation system. Using AR technology and Bluetooth positioning, it addresses the pain point of difficulty finding seats. Additionally, through voice recognition and gesture interaction, spectators can access real-time event information and enjoy a brand new spectator experience."
Considering the needs of public fitness and long-term operation, the venues will be fully opened to the public after the games, achieving shared access for all.
(Source: Wen Wei Po; Journalist: Zhang Ming, Tang Wen, Hong Zekai, Ao Minhui; English Editor: Darius)
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