Close cooperation

Like many of her Macao teammates, Hoi is an amateur athlete who holds down a day job, in her case as an office worker. Hoi said sports in Macao have received huge help from the Chinese mainland, and she hopes to see more cooperation in the future.

"More and more young Macao athletes are choosing to turn professional, which will benefit Macao's sports development. But there's still a lack of sports science talent in Macao, so in this regard we can benefit from more cooperation with the Chinese mainland," she said.

"Actually we already have close cooperation with the Chinese mainland. The General Administration of Sport of China has given us huge support. For instance, they have sent coaches to help Macao athletes in sports like table tennis, diving and martial arts.

"Also, many sports experts from the Chinese mainland have come to Macao to give lectures and hold discussions."

Macao's karate athlete Wong Sok-i, who participated in the 2018 Asian Games, is equally excited to test herself against the nation's top athletes in Xi'an, and insists the tough competition at the Games pushes her to try harder.

"For us, we always need more competitive rivals to play against, but (in Macao) I don't have enough strong rivals in my category," said Wong.

"I really hope we can have a training camp with the top karate athletes from across the nation for several weeks, so we can train and grow together."

Che Kuong-im, the team leader of the Macao karate squad, says strengthening the ties between athletes from the Chinese mainland and Macao is a win-win situation for all concerned.

"There are a total of 10 people, including eight athletes, in our team at the National Games. Two of them won medals at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta," Che told China Youth Daily.

"Macao's karate scene is growing fast, and we have been receiving great support. More and more amateur athletes are turning professional. More under-14 kids are in particular starting to embrace the sport."

Che also emphasizes how the National Games act as something of an idea exchange.

"We are so glad to participate in the National Games, which offer a great communication platform," he added. "We can really see the quick growth of the karate athletes here, and Macao athletes can compete with high-level rivals, among whom many are world champions and Olympics medalists. They are very competitive and we should learn from them.

"We would relish more chances to train with athletes from the Chinese mainland and, in turn, we would love to welcome them to Macao."