The men’s team kata (amateurs) mass participation event at the 15th National Games karate competition concluded yesterday, with the Macau delegation securing its first ever gold medal in the history of the National Games.
This gold medal also marked the first medal awarded at the local segment of the 15th National Games, with Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai presiding over the award ceremony.
The competition took place at the Macau Forum in Zape.
The 15th National Games, held not just in Guangdong but also in Hong Kong and Macau, ends on November 21. The grand opening ceremony will be held in Guangzhou on Sunday. However, some of the competitions had started last week.
According to DeepSeek, kata is a choreographed, formal sequence of movements that simulates a fight against multiple imaginary opponents. It is often described as a “shadow fight” or a “form” and is one of the three core pillars of traditional karate training, alongside basics (kihon) and sparring (kumite).
Sam told reporters after the award ceremony that he expressed his delight to the three karatekas at their achievement, describing it as a source of shared celebration and pride for all Macau residents. He particularly commended the outstanding and spirited performances of the kata team, which fully embodied the city’s sporting ethos.
He also said that he had inspected all seven venues hosting events for the Macau leg of the Games yesterday, confirming that transportation, medical services, security, and venue facilities were all fully prepared.
He expressed confidence in the smooth organisation and completion of all hosted events, emphasising that every effort would be made to jointly foster a safe, harmonious, and favourable environment for the Games.
The “golden boys” comprise Cheang Pei Lok, Fong Man Hou and Kuok Kin Hang, Sunday’s final torchbearer of the 15th National Games torch relay.
Kuok won a bronze medal in the men’s karate at the 14th National Games, held in Shaanxi Province in September 2021, to become Macau’s first-ever medallist at the Games.
Earlier yesterday, the Macau trio first defeated the Beijing team in the Round of 16. After advancing to the quarter-finals where they beat their Guizhou counterparts. They then defeated the Shandong representative team in the semi-finals. Finally, in the gold medal match, they scored 42.7 points, narrowly defeating the Hong Kong team by a margin of 2.3 points.
In a press conference after the ceremony, the local trio expressed profound honour at securing the kata championship on home soil, extending gratitude to both the general public and the local government for their support. Kuok, 33, said that his career was ending, adding that, however, he would continue preparing with the team for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
Cheang said that having been able to compete in his hometown felt both special and nerve-wracking.
Fong admitted that he was “quite nervous” at the start of the competition earlier yesterday but after some “adjustments” by his coach his performance stabilised. He vowed to strive for “breakthroughs” in both individual and team events at the Asian Games.
Karate is one of the mass participation events at this year’s National Games. A total of eight gold medals will be awarded, with the competition concluding tomorrow.
The National Games of China is the nation’s highest-level comprehensive multi-sport event. It is hosted by the General Administration of Sport of China. Usually, the Games is held every four years. The National Games was first held in 1959 in Beijing at the Workers’ Stadium, when 10,658 athletes competed across 384 events in 42 sports, according to the official website of the State Council.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, standing in front of Macau’s gold-medal karate team - Cheang Pei Lok (second from left), Kuok Kin Hang (second from right), Fong Man Hou (right) and coach Wang Yi-ta - poses during yesterday’s awards ceremony at Macau Forum in Zape. – Photo courtesy of TDM
