Macau’s Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Elsie Ao Ieong U, said Thursday that the city’s six concessionaires must submit their plans for sports events to the government by next month.
The deadline was revealed at the Legislative Assembly, with Ao stating, “Many events in Macau are being marketed, such as basketball tournaments, table tennis and marathons, and in the future, some major sports events will be organized by large organizations.
“The six gaming concessionaires are required to submit their sports plans in March, including the sports events to be organized. The government will coordinate this.
The Macau government has combined sports with tourism and launched a “sports + tourism” development plan. Under the new 10-year concessions signed by the concessionaires and in place since 1 January 2023, the government has emphasized non-gaming elements, including sports development, as a priority.
Among the sports events already organized by the concessionaires are the Sands China Macao International 10k race, the Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon and the MGM MACAU International Regatta. In addition, the six concessionaires have long been sponsors of the Macau Grand Prix.
Some debate has raged over whether or not authorities should hand responsibility for such projects to private enterprise, however the government believes this is a corporate social responsibility and that Macau’s gaming operators need to develop non-gaming elements and take on more social responsibility in the future.
