The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Wednesday marked the start of the one-year countdown to its hosting of the 28th General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) — a high-stakes assembly to be held at AsiaWorld-Expo from Dec 7 to 10, 2026, in conjunction with the association’s pivotal presidential election next year.

The scheduled hosting of the assembly in Hong Kong stands as a testimony to the city and its growing participation and sway in the international sports sphere, said Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, vice-president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China.

Fok said he estimates that the assembly will convene some 1,200 delegates from 206 nations and regions, and described it to the press as “a rare occasion where the world truly comes together” at Wednesday’s countdown ceremony.

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The key agenda will feature the association’s presidential election and high-level executive committee meetings, and will likely include briefings from host countries about recent major sports events — including Japan, which will by then have concluded the 2026 Asian Games, and the US ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles — and further sessions on themes such as sports technology, global issues in relation to sports, and the rising profile of esports, Fok said.

Delegates can also expect a packed schedule of tours of the city while in Hong Kong, with organizers also considering whether visits to other cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area might be viable.

Fok, who was re-elected to represent the city’s sports sector in the legislature for a new four-year term, said that a number of visa relaxation policies are now in place for international travelers to visit the Chinese mainland. “And we hope to make use of these levers,” he said. “This is about Hong Kong acting as the country’s East-meets-West exchange pivot, enabling the international sports community to witness first-hand the vitality of the broader Greater Bay Area.”

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At the countdown launch, ANOC Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg praised Hong Kong for its readiness to deliver a great delegate experience, adding that the preparation work has been proceeding “fantastically” with strong backing from the SAR government.

“We hope — actually, we know — that everyone will enjoy exploring Hong Kong and its excellent sports facilities,” she said.

Fok echoed Lindberg’s remarks, saying that the city has a unique edge when it comes to serving as the country’s hub for international sports exchange, thanks to its multilingual environment, its East-meets-West cultural blend, and its distinct common law system under the “one country, two systems” framework.

Fok also addressed speculation at the ceremony about a potential Greater Bay Area bid for the 2036 Olympics.

He said that, while no formal talks have been initiated, the hosting of the 15th National Games in the Greater Bay Area in November attests both to Hong Kong’s infrastructural capabilities and to the operational strength of the co-hosting model implemented within the Greater Bay Area, proving that the region is a premier destination for mega sporting spectacles.

Fok expressed his hopes that the demonstrated capabilities of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area to host large-scale sporting events will qualify them for consideration as hosts for future large-scale sporting events.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com