Live broadcast, February 26th, Hong Kong Chief Executive Li Jiachao hosted a banquet for China FIFA World Cup qualification after men’s basketball. He wrote on Weibo:
Today, I hosted a banquet at Government House to welcome the national men’s basketball team to Hong Kong. Thank the country for its trust and support to Hong Kong, and designate Hong Kong as the home court of the Basketball World Cup of the International Basketball Federation. This is the first time that Hong Kong has taken responsibility for the national team at home. We all feel extremely glorious.
For Hong Kong, this competition shows three characteristics and significance: first, under the advantage of “One Country, Two Systems”, Hong Kong can participate in the rapid development of the country and make contributions in different areas; Second, with the strong support of the country, the top international events are held in Hong Kong; Third, first-class athletes show their exquisite skills in Hong Kong, which is conducive to promoting the vigorous development of Hong Kong sports.
Developing sports can not only promote the health of citizens, but also contribute to the country. The SAR government will support local sports associations to participate in large-scale competitions in the mainland and regions, and improve the development level of Hong Kong’s sports at different levels such as occupation, academic circle and folk amateur.
I would like to thank the country again for holding this large-scale international competition in Hong Kong and the full support of the Chinese Basketball Association. I wish the national team a victory in the World Cup finals and continue to honor the country!
