Chinese table tennis player Fan Zhendong's alma mater in southern China's Guangzhou City watched the Olympic final and celebrated his Olympic singles gold that sealed a career grand slam.
Fan defeated Truls Moregard of Sweden 4-1 to win the men's singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Sunday. The win made him the 10th Chinese player to achieve a Grand Slam, having won the World Championships, World Cup and Olympic titles.
The match drew national attention as it was the first time in 20 years that a player from outside China had challenged for the men's singles gold medal at the Olympics since Korea's Ryu Seung Min defeated China's Wang Hao, Fan's coach, in the 2004 final.
Teachers, coaches and students from the Guangzhou Sports Polytechnic, where Fan was trained as a child, gathered in the hall to watch the final and enthusiastically cheer on their alumnus.
The crowd roared after the 27-year-old Chinese player won the gold medal point with a backhand shot.
After the match, the audience members spectating from Guangzhou offered well-wishes to the honored alumnus.
"I hope he can continue his efforts, play well in the group matches and win another gold medal for the country. I hope he'll go for it," said Zhang Min, Fan's training coach.
"[He] inspired me to keep going when I want to give up. Come on, Fan Zhendong, come on, my senior!" said Dong Houxuan, a table tennis student at Guangzhou Sports Polytechnic.
Olympian Fan Zhendong’s alma mater celebrate table tennis gold
Olympian Fan Zhendong’s alma mater celebrate table tennis gold
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
