Trial runs for cross-border races at the coming National Games have revealed the need for greater support for trailing athletes and improved communication among escort personnel at boundary checkpoints, the head of Hong Kong’s coordination office has said. Hong Kong will co-host the 15th National Games in November with neighbouring Guangdong province and Macau for the first time, staging eight of the competition’s 34 sporting events – the men’s under-22 basketball, track cycling, fencing, golf, men’s handball, rugby sevens, triathlon and beach volleyball. Commenting on test runs last month for two additional cross-border events – road cycling and the marathon – National Games Coordination Office head Yeung Tak-keung said on Sunday that some communication gaps between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Shenzhen could be improved. For example, he said, during the cycling race, some athletes lagged behind the leading group, creating a large gap. “The main pack in front was monitored closely by cameras and drones, but for the trailing cyclists, how do we take care of them, or how do we assess their situation?” he told a radio programme. “There may be a need for more manpower or more technology to help.” Yeung added during these cross-border events, technology was a major aspect in ensuring athletes’ safety and tracking, which included facial recognition, GPS and radio frequency identification (RFID) for real-time monitoring and course adherence. The 230km road cycling race will start and finish at the Zhuhai Museum, with 160.7km in Zhuhai, 55.8km in Hong Kong and 13.5km in Macau. For the 42.2km marathon, 21.8km of the route will be in Hong Kong. Runners will complete a round trip from Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre, crossing into Hong Kong via the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint, race along the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and Kong Sham Western Highway Viaduct, before returning to the starting point through the same border crossing. Hong Kong athletes who had taken part in the trial runs had previously pointed to challenges in the Hong Kong section, including slopes and strong crosswinds. Meanwhile, the Shenzhen section, while more level, had more sharp turns with occasional small potholes and sand on road surfaces, meaning runners “couldn’t be too careless”, according to team coach Wong Ka-man. Yeung said it would be arranged for athletes to stay at hotels near their event venues, with staff in lobbies round the clock to provide assistance. He also revealed that around 17,000 Games volunteers had been selected for training among 30,000 applications received after recruitment took place in July last year. Yeung emphasised that volunteers would play a crucial role in various capacities, from guiding spectators to helping athletes at hotels and border crossings. Ticket prices for the Games, which run from November 9 to 21, would be affordable, he said, aligning with past editions, ranging from tens to a few hundred dollars. Yeung said organisers aimed to balance accessibility for both local and mainland Chinese spectators, while discussions were continuing on ticket allocation between regions and various sales channels. He also said organisers would work to broadcast the events on multiple channels.