The 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games officially kicked off in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on Monday, highlighting regional cooperation and steady advances in support of people with disabilities.

Athletes compete during a blind soccer match of the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games in Guangzhou on Monday. CHEN HAOMING/XINHUA

It is the first time that the two weeklong events have been jointly hosted by Guangdong province and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, reflecting the significant and far-reaching importance of demonstrating the strengths of the "one country, two systems" policy, according to Yong Zhijun, executive deputy-general of the organizing committee of the two events.

"It will further showcase the new achievements in China's disability cause during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), promoting the development of sports for persons with disabilities and advancing the coordinated growth of GBA," he said at a news conference in Guangzhou, Guangdong's provincial capital, on Monday.

The program features 46 major sporting events and 1,876 subevents. These include 11 mass participation sports and nine Paralympic disciplines. A total of 7,824 athletes from 34 delegations across the country have registered.

During the main competition period, more than 11,000 people, including athletes, referees, classifiers, coaches and support staff members, will take part, an increase of about 30 percent compared with the previous edition, Yong said.

Eleven cities across the Greater Bay Area are involved in hosting events. Yong added that competitions for six winter sports were completed in Beijing, Hebei and Jilin provinces, as well as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region ahead of the official opening ceremony.

Chen Xuejun, deputy director of the executive committee for the Guangdong division, said the games demonstrate the Greater Bay Area's capacity to host complex, large-scale sporting events while advancing high-quality development for people with disabilities.

Guangdong is using 36 competition venues, including 22 utilized during last month's 15th National Games, while 14 are dedicated specifically for the two games, maximizing the efficient use of existing venue resources.

Chen said all venues meet national accessibility standards and have been fitted with facilities such as ramps, accessible lifts, tactile paving, adapted toilets, wheelchair seating, sign language interpretation systems and smart information services. "Thus the venues ensure that individuals with accessibility needs can fully participate in and enjoy the competitions, demonstrating a commitment to humanistic care," he said.

Yeung Tak-keung, head of the Hong Kong event coordination office, said the event goes beyond sport by promoting wider social inclusion. He added that closer cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao is helping to break down physical and administrative barriers through resource sharing.

"This lays a solid foundation for jointly hosting more large-scale sports events for persons with disabilities in the future," said Yeung.

Pun Weng-kun, coordinator of Macao's preparatory office, said Macao has established green channels at four designated entry and exit ports to provide convenient customs clearance services for games participants and technical officials.

Around 1,500 volunteers will be sent to various service positions, Pun said, adding that they have completed specialized training for the events, covering skills such as sign language communication and assistance for amputees. "During the games, they will provide a wide range of services, including competition support, venue logistics, on-site guidance, as well as reception and hospitality," he said.

Hong Kong will host four events, including three Paralympic events — boccia, wheelchair fencing and table tennis (Class TT11) — as well as one Special Olympics table tennis round, while Macao hosts the badminton contests.