Organised by the International School Sport Federation (ISF) and hosted by the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), the ISF World School Basketball Championship 2024 is going to take place in Macao from 23 June to 3 July 2024. A total of 37 teams with about 600 students from 20 countries/regions will be gathering in Macao to compete in the matches. The opening match is scheduled to take place at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion on 24 June, after the Opening Ceremony. The DSEDJ held a press conference today (17 June) to introduce the arrangements for the Championship, which was attended by: Mr Kong Chi Meng, Director of the DSEDJ; Ms Akiko Takahashi, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff to Chairman and CEO of Melco Resorts & Entertainment; Mr Chui Tin Lop, President of the Macau-China Basketball Association; Ms Chau Kwai Chee, Director of the Office of Sports Affairs of the University of Macau; and Ms Chao Hio Tong, Head of the Referees Department of the Macau-China Basketball Association.
With the purposes of facilitating cultural exchange among young people from all over the globe and improving their athletic performance and competitive ability, the ISF World School Basketball Championship has become a major sporting event for secondary school students in the world. This year’s event is co-hosted by the University of Macau and the Macau-China Basketball Association and sponsored by Melco Resorts & Entertainment, with the Sports Bureau providing venue support, Li Ning (China) Sports Goods Co. Ltd sponsoring athletic apparel and footwear, and China Telecom (Macau) Company Ltd and Nam Yue Luen Fung Trading Company Ltd providing in-kind support.
In his speech, Director Kong Chi Meng highlighted that with 2024 marking the double celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland, it is especially significant for the Macao Special Administrative Region to host the international school basketball event in the name of Macao, China. The Championship will provide opportunities for Macao students not only to broader their horizons by competing with their peers from around the world, but also to share the joy of the double celebration and the successful practice of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ with their international friends, youths and students in the year of double celebration. Ms Chao Hio Tong said that during the period of the Championship a total of 117 matches would take place at the Sports Complex of the University of Macau, the Mong-Ha Sports Centre and the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion, and that relevant preparations had been completed in an orderly manner.
Coordinated by the DSEDJ, the Macao Boys’ School Basketball Team and the Macao Girls’ School Basketball Team, consisting of 12 members each, will represent the city’s school sector at the ISF World School Basketball Championship 2024. Both Macao School Teams have already been training and in active preparation for the Championship, hoping to be at their best when interacting and competing on the court with student athletes from other regions and countries. According to the draw results, both the Macao Boys’ and Girls’ School Basketball Teams will play their first matches against India teams on 24 and 25 June, respectively. The Macao Boys’ School Basketball Team, led by captain Ip Hong Seng and coaches Leong Iam and Sio Pui Keong, is comprised of students from Pui Ching Middle School, Keang Peng School (Secondary Section), Yuet Wah College (Chinese Section), Lingnan Middle School, Escola Choi Nong Chi Tai, Macau Kung Luen Vocational & Technical Middle School, Instituto Salesiano, the Affiliated School of the University of Macau, Sheng Kung Hui Choi Kou School (Macau) and Lou Hau High School. The Macao Girls’ School Basketball Team, on the other hand, is led by captain Wong Man Seong and coaches Lo Man Si and Chong Chi Hou, with team members from Sacred Heart Canossian College (English Section), Our Lady of Fatima Girls’ School, Pui Ching Middle School, Chan Sui Ki Perpetual Help College, Lou Hau High School and Escola Secundária Luso-Chinesa de Luís Gonzaga Gomes.
This year, all matches of the Championship will be livestreamed whilst seats at the competition venues will also be available to the general public. Residents are welcome to watch the matches on-site or online. For further information, please visit https://portal.dsedj.gov.mo/webdsejspace/site/ce/index.jsp. Countries/regions taking part in this year’s event include (in order of ISF Member Associations): Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hong Kong China, India, Macao China, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Chinese Taipei, Türkiye and Uganda.
