It’s probably fair to say that Macau doesn’t have a particularly strong local sporting culture, especially compared to some of our regional neighbours. Nonetheless, for a small city with just over half a million people and very little open space, there are a surprisingly wide range of sports clubs and associations to be found if you go looking for them. And for a period of time in the recent past, it even seemed like Macau was gaining a reputation for being a host city for larger-scale international sporting events.
Of course, the Macau Grand Prix is the standout sporting event in the city, this year celebrating its 70th anniversary and having hosted some of the biggest names in motor racing history over its many decades. And there are other big sporting meets with long histories too. The 42-km Macau International Marathon dates all the way back to 1981, and together with the half and mini marathons, continues to attract thousands of runners every year. The Macau Golf Open (previously sponsored by The Venetian from 2012 to 2016 and currently in a hiatus period) was first held in 1998 and ran annually until 2017. In its final year, the winner’s purse was over one million US dollars. In 2001 and again in 2011, Galaxy Macau hosted the finals for the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix. And over three consecutive years from 2005 to 2007, Macau was home to the East Asian Games, Lusofonia Games and Asian Indoor Games.
There have been other highlights too. Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao successfully fought here twice at the Venetian Arena, in 2013 and 2014. The UFC held two events here in 2012 and 2014. Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras put on an exhibition tennis match in the same venue in 2009, as did the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic in 2007. And the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Tournament has been coming to Macau annually for its competitions since 2006, sponsored by Galaxy Macau.
圖 Photos Pedro André Santos
Macau’s main football stadium, the Olympic Sports Centre, has hosted a number of top clubs and big names for friendly invitation matches. In 2002, Macau hosted a high-profile game between the national teams of Portugal and China. In 2005, Barcelona brought the likes of Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi to play against a team from Shenzhen. Two years later, Manchester United arrived with Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs. This was followed up the next year with a visit by Chelsea Football Club. In 2019, English Premier League team, Southampton FC, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain all competed in the International Super Cup match.
In more recent times, the city has presented other sporting events like the MGM Regatta, since 2019, and the ‘Wynn Cup’ Qingdao-Macau International Offshore yacht race in 2021. Just last December, some of the top mainland tennis players competed here in the 2022 CTA Tour SJM Professional Finals and National Tennis Championships. And in a nod to the cyber-future of sports, a number of E-sports tournaments have been held in Macau, including the World University Cyber League 2021, co-organised by Melco.
However, the past few years have of course made it more difficult to host international events in the city. The big question is, now that Macau is reopening, and especially since the six casino operators are committing to investing billions of dollars in non-gaming events and facilities, is there a future in which Macau can be a major regional hub for large-scale sporting events?
“In the past there were many major sports events in Macau, and these events attracted many spectators, from here and from abroad. I believe the city has all the potential and the economic power to keep hosting these events now that the Covid restrictions are over,” comments Nuno Gomes, Head Coach of Benfica Macau Basketball team and a former player for the Macau Basketball Team. “Macau needs to develop local competitions and championships and also keep bringing big names here to help promote sport and attract tourists.”
Former head of the Macau Sports Bureau from 1996 to 2008, Manuel Silvério believes that the city is in a strong position to host major events in the future.
“Macau has major strengths as a host city for large sporting events in Asia. Firstly, we are close to Hong Kong and China, where most of the athletes and spectators are from. Secondly, we have dedicated training and competition venues that are close to each other and make travel easy and allow plenty of time before event days to relax around the city. Thirdly, our climate is generally much warmer than other Asian cities such as Tokyo or Seoul, so competitors don’t feel the same need to acclimatize before events. Last but certainly not least, we have some of the best hospitality in Asia with many world-class hotels offering great food and service at reasonable prices.”
Despite these advantages, he does offer a word of caution:
“We must understand that bidding for major sporting events needs to begin years in advance. I think that it will be very difficult for Macau to have international sports events in the near future. However, in the meantime, Macau’s private operators can and should focus on regional events of different sports.”
Certainly, this is likely to be the case. Sands China has already announced that the 2023 Sands China Macao International 10K race will be held in March, offering MOP700,000 in cash prizes. Ten thousand runners, including top athletes from Kenya and mainland China are expected to take part. There are even unconfirmed rumours that the Macau Golf Open could return this year. Just this month, the South China Morning Post reported that the International Series of the Asian Tour is planning an expansion and is considering possible events in Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen.
Meanwhile, other sporting organisations also see the benefits of Macau and are hoping to host more events here in the future.
“From a facilities perspective, from a hospitality and tourism perspective, and in terms of air travel or crossing the border from the mainland, Macau is probably the best situated place in all of Asia,” says Matt Beyer, CEO and co-founder of East Asia Super League (EASL), the champions league of East Asian basketball covering Greater China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines. “Macau has more basketball arenas than the city of Manila and many other cities that have 10 times the population. And they’re great facilities.”
“Then there’s the whole allure of a city that doesn’t sleep. The teams can come here and leave the integrated resorts and explore the old city which has a real charm. There isn’t another city like this in Asia.”
Regarding the facilities, Beyer sees advantages to both the new corporate stadiums and the older public ones.
“The new Galaxy Arena, Sands Cotai Arena, Studio City and even the Macau Dome and Tap Seac Multisports Stadium are all very good arenas. Of course, the new Galaxy Arena is state-of-the-art and nicer than most NBA facilities to be honest. You can’t even compare it with any facility in Asia. And the advantage of a facility like Tap Seac is its proximity to the city centre and residential areas. It’s pretty amazing.”
A worthwhile investment
While Macau seems to have all the necessary hardware for being a regional sporting hub, bringing events to the city requires a massive investment. Does it yield sufficient benefits to make it all worthwhile?
“There are certainly net gains overall,” notes Nuno Gomes. “Firstly, there’s the money generated just from the ticket sales to the events. Then there’s the many tourists who will come to watch the events and spend money while they are here. And finally, the promotion of Macau internationally as a sporting events city.”
Manuel Silvério agrees wholeheartedly.
“There was a Macau University study that showed that the total investment in the East Asia Games had an incredible multiplier effect on the economy,” he notes. “If you take into account that the same facilities were used for major sports events in 2005, 2006, 2007 and also for the Beijing Olympics Training Camp for the Portuguese, British and Brazilian Olympic teams, that multiplier effect grows even higher. So, investments in major sporting events have a financial net gain for the city.”
And it’s not just financial benefits.
“These events bring exposure to the city,” he adds. “The media coverage is extensive and reaches all corners of the globe. Even if people don’t come to visit, they know about the city and its culture. Second, hosting these events helps promote local sporting practices within the country. This can be especially important for smaller cities like Macau.”
“The sports promotion programs implemented through past major events like the East Asia Games, stimulated residents’ interest in leisure sports and physical activities and nurtured a community culture of sports and healthy living. The high profile of the Games brings the host city valuable opportunities to financially invest, politically support and socially encourage the development of sport culture, which will benefit residents in the long term.”
The East Asia Sporting League has already brought four basketball events to Macau, in September 2017 and 2018 at Studio City, and at Macau Dome and Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
“Our first event had 21 million viewers on broadcast and our last tournament in September 2019, which was co-organised together with the Sports Bureau of Macau, had 117 million viewers on 36 different broadcast networks,” comments Matt Beyer.
“I think our events have had tremendous success in terms of bringing eyeballs to Macau as a destination for top basketball competitions in the region and getting exposure among all the top men’s leagues in Asia. We have put Macau on the map for basketball communities and the league’s players, teams and the media, so to continue that into the future and to develop it and offer more programming is a huge opportunity,” he adds.
Photo Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro / VNL
Future possibilities
In 2021, it was announced that Macau would host the 15th National Games of China in 2025, together with Guangdong province and Hong Kong.
Manuel Silvério believes there are other sporting opportunities for Macau moving forward.
“Liberalization is the key. The government should promote a sports business-friendly environment by allowing, encouraging and assisting third parties to host, organize and promote world class sports events,” he suggests. “Our key element should be Sports Tourism and for that our market is the Greater Bay Area with its 86 million people. That is a huge market of people who can come to Macau to attend events or watch the TV/Online broadcast.”
And he has some specific ideas for future events.
“The Macau Grand Prix is always a highlight of the year, however, the new reality is that Macau wants to be an International Tourist Centre and that cannot be done using the same formula of the last 15 years. I believe there is room, for example, to bring an F1 circuit to Cotai. With the support of the current concessionaires we could create a night event just like in Singapore.
“Another event that would place Macau in the centre of the Asian spotlight would be the Asian Games. Macau has the infrastructure and capacity to host such event.
“Furthermore, we could host an international Equestrian event. This would attract wealthy fans and tourists to Macau, from all across the world and also provide a new use for the Macau Jockey Club.”
Nuno Gomes also sees the need to invest in sports at a local level to make teams more competitive regionally and to attract more events.
“Extending the local basketball season would surely increase competitiveness. The best teams of that competition could then play against the best teams of the neighbouring regions. This would be a huge boost for the local sporting mentality and bring more visitors too.”
“The Macao Black Bears are a good professional basketball team in Macau, but they only compete in an Asian tournament. By investing in the implementation of a long-term plan to develop local teams and local championships, and by making Macau sporting teams more respected abroad, this will attract interest from outside.”
Investment should be directed at less well-known sports too, Nuno says, pointing out that most people are probably unaware that Macau is currently the reigning champions of the Roller Hockey Asia Cup.
Matt Beyer observes that Las Vegas has an NFL team and an NHL team, and Le Bron James wants to set up an NBA team there. In November this year, the city will even host its first ever F1 race with a 6-km circuit weaving all through the famous casino strip.
“The NBA Summer League, one of the biggest industry events in basketball, is held there every year. They host over 60 games over the course of a week in two arenas, attracting the who’s who of the entire sport. It takes time to build that sporting culture, but I don’t see any reason why Macau couldn’t be in the same place in the future,” he concludes.
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