A welcome home reception was held for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region delegation to the 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities of the People's Republic of China (NTGEM) at the Tsuen Wan Sports Centre today.

Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law presented certificates of commendation to the athletes with outstanding performances, and expressed gratitude to the coaches and support teams at the ceremony.

Jointly organised by the National Ethnic Affairs Commission of the People's Republic of China and the General Administration of Sport of China, the 12th NTGEM was held from November 22 to 30 in Sanya, Hainan.

Held every four years, the NTGEM is a mass participation sporting event and the participants are mainly amateur athletes. The competitions award first, second and third prizes instead of gold, silver and bronze medals.

The Hong Kong SAR took part in the games for the first time, with 66 athletes participating in three competition events - shuttlecock, dragon boat and folk martial arts as well as the dragon dance sport demonstration. Twenty athletes gave a lion dance performance at the opening ceremony.

The athletes were awarded in all four events with one second prize and four third prizes in total, while the delegation won the Sportsmanship Award.

The delegation also joined the games’ cultural exchange activities to engage with athletes of other ethnic groups in developing a deeper understanding of the excellent traditional Chinese culture while consolidating a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.