Organized by the Sports Bureau, Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) and the General Association of Athletics of Macau (AGAM), the ‘Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China and the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region - 2024 Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon’ will take place on 1 December (Sunday). The Organizing Committee held a press conference today (25 September) to announce the details and registration arrangements for the event. The press conference was attended by Mr. Luís Gomes, President of the Sports Bureau; Mr. Philip Cheng, Director of GEG; Mr. Chan Pou Sin, President of AGAM; among others.

Macao International Marathon to mark twin celebrations

Mr. Luís Gomes, President of the Sports Bureau, remarked that this year marks the 75^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao SAR, which makes this edition of Macao International Marathon even more significant. Hosting a variety of large-scale international sporting events will help to continually drive the sports development in Macao, and the synergistic effect of sporting events will bolster the city’s sports industry and moderate economic diversification. He thanked GEG for their continued and generous investment into the event and the local sports industry, AGAM for their efforts in organizing the event, and long-distance running enthusiasts for their support over the years, as he looks forward to continuing to develop this large-scale international sporting event of historical significance that is widely popular among residents and tourists alike and celebrating the twin anniversaries of our motherland and the Macao SAR with sports.

Mr. Philip Cheng, Director of Galaxy Entertainment Group, said, “GEG is deeply honored to support the Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon for the 21^st consecutive year, as well as to serve as one of its co-organizers for the second year in a row. This year’s Marathon coincides with the 25^th anniversary of Macau’s return to the Motherland. GEG will work alongside the co-organizers to commemorate this special occasion. We will also continue to host the GEG Handover Cup and the Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon Carnival to enhance the festive spirit in multifaceted ways, and showcase Macau’s charm as a ‘City of Sports’ to the world.”

Mr. Chan Pou Sin, President of AGAM, noted the association attaches great importance to the preparation and organization of this annual large-scale track event, and has started a series of training sessions, including staff selection and recruitment, task training, and course measurement, in order to enhance preparations and arrangements for this event.

Registration to start on 28 and 29 September

Places available for the Macao International Marathon this year include 1,600 for the marathon, 4,800 for the half marathon and 5,600 for the mini marathon. The races will start at the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, with the marathon and half marathon races starting at 6 a.m. and the mini marathon race starting at 6:15 a.m. The marathon and half-marathon courses will pass by the Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge and the World Heritage attraction A-Ma Temple and run along the Sai Van Bridge.

The event this year will once again open for registration on two separate dates with the marathon and the half marathon open for registration starting 2 p.m. on 28 September (Saturday) and the mini marathon starting 2 p.m. on 29 September (Sunday). Anyone interested can register through the event’s website at www.macaomarathon.com or the ‘Macao International Marathon’ mobile application. Places are limited for each category and registration will be closed when all places are filled.

All would-be participants are required to have an online personal account for the ‘Macao International Marathon’ or ‘Macao International 10K’, and those without such an account can create a new one immediately. Upon successfully opening an account, participants can log in to the system for online registration during the registration period. Participants with an existing account should prepare their personal information, including an electronic copy of their identification document and their General Association of Athletics of Macau membership card for the current year (if applicable) for registration. Participants who have already opened their personal account online but have forgotten their username and password can reset their password. MPay, BOC Mobile Banking Macau, Visa, MasterCard, UnionPay Online Pay, UnionPay cards, Alipay China and WeChat Pay China are accepted for registration fee payment.

Participants may collect their number bib, timing chip, and the notes to participants on M/F of Broadway Macau™ between 27 November and 30 November by presenting their registration receipt and identification document.

Rich elements to elevate the festive atmosphere of the event

To encourage participants to achieve great results, the ‘GEG Handover Cup’ will be introduced in this edition’s event, with winners to be awarded prizes from GEG. In order to allow participants, tourists and residents to experience the festive atmosphere of the event, a series of ancillary activities will continue to be held this year, including the ‘2024 Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon Carnival’. Further related details will be announced in due course.

Participants are reminded to read carefully the regulations and understand the race route, and are advised to prepare and practice for the event based on their own physical conditions.  For more information, please visit the official website www.macaomarathon.com, or follow the ‘Macao Major Sporting Events’ Facebook page, ‘澳門體育’ (Macao Sports) WeChat public account and ‘澳門特區體育局’ (Macao SAR Sports Bureau) WeChat subscription account.