Macau’s first artistic swimming-themed mega sports event “MGM Artistic Swimming Elite Extravaganza & Macao Open Artistic Swimming Competition 2023” was held from June 23 to 25. Presented by Associação Geral de Natação de Macau, the Macau Artistic Swimming Team and MGM, together with the support of the Sports Bureau of the Macao SAR, the three-day event attracted nearly 180 artistic swimming athletes from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to fiercely compete with their captivating water acrobatics. A strong lineup of China’s three renowned teams, namely China’s National Artistic Swimming Team, Beijing Artistic Swimming Team and Sichuan Artistic Swimming Team, were also invited to present a set of exhilarating “water ballet” performances for audience in Macau.

Lai Pak Leng, President of Associação Geral de Natação de Macau, said, “With the honorable support from the Sports Bureau and MGM, the competition this year has been elevated to a whole new level – on top of the participation of athletes from the Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, we have even invited top-notch teams of China to bring to Macau a series of fascinating performance, creating a greater stage for the athletes and also the audience. This mega sports event truly showcased the strength of our local artistic swimming athletes and promoted the exchange between local and national athletes, which helped energizing the local sports industry and speeding up its convergence with the international sports scene.”

Pansy Ho, Chairperson and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited, said, “MGM is honored to be the first integrated tourism enterprise to launch such groundbreaking artistic swimming event in Macau with Associação Geral de Natação de Macau and the support from the Sports Bureau, pioneering a new chapter of sports tourism.  Comprised of a series of activities including joint performances, competition, sharing session and more, this innovative event augmented the synergy of tourism and sports to promote Macau as a city for major sports events as well as a destination with diversified tourist resources, which ultimately contributed the ‘1+4’ diversified development strategy initiated by the Macao SAR government.”

National Athletes Shared their Career Success to Local Youth

To provide a platform for local artistic swimmers to exchange with the distinguished athletes, MGM hosted a "Sharing Session" for national athletes to share their exceptional sports career. Six elite athletes, including Shi Haoyu, Cheng Wentao and Zhang Yiyao from China’s National Artistic Swimming Team, Yang Shuncheng from Beijing Artistic Swimming Team, Dai Shiyi from Sichuan Artistic Swimming Team, and Ao Ieong Sin Ieng from Macau Artistic Swimming Team, were invited to speak at the session for nearly 200 local artistic swimming athletes, youth and students.

Shi Haoyu, the gold medalist at the Mixed Duet Free Routine Category of the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup, said, “During our performances in Macau, we felt truly welcomed and appreciated by the audience. Often portrayed as a female dominated sport, artistic swimming has always been highlighting the gentleness of the female body – and as a male athlete in the sports, I endeavor to overcome such challenges by bringing forth the beauty of masculinity into the pool, hoping to create more possibilities for the development of artistic swimming.”

Student Reporters Invited to Interview National Athletes

Previously, MGM supported the “Selection of Student Reporters for 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games – Macau Station” and provided trainings for the participating student reporters. Taking this opportunity that the national elite athletes were performing in Macau, MGM once again invited those student reporters, alongside members of schools’ artistic swimming teams and students to the performance, competition and sharing sessions, and even arranged an interview session for them to set up and close with the national athletes.

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About MGM

MGM is an abbreviation for MGM China Holdings Limited (HKEx: 2282) and is a leading developer, owner and operator of gaming and lodging resorts in the Greater China region. We are the holding company of MGM Grand Paradise, SA which holds one of the six gaming concessions to run casino games in Macau. MGM Grand Paradise, SA owns and operates MGM MACAU, the award-winning premium integrated resort located on the Macau Peninsula and MGM COTAI, a contemporary luxury integrated resort in Cotai, which opened in early 2018 and more than doubles our presence in Macau. 

MGM MACAU is a Forbes Five-Star luxury integrated resort inspired by the arts with every element of the resort infused with creativity and style. MGM MACAU has approximately 600 guest rooms and suites and boasts a number of distinguishing features, including the architecturally stunning European-inspired Grande Praça, housed under a soaring glass ceiling. MGM MACAU’s world class facilities include the MGM Art Space, dedicating over 5,000 square feet to display authentic works of art, conference and event facilities, spa, and seven signature restaurants and bars to fulfill any gastronomic craving. Our property is conveniently located on the Macau Peninsula and is directly connected to the luxury retail shopping complex, One Central.

MGM COTAI is the latest integrated resort of MGM in China. Designed as the “jewelry box” of Cotai, it offers approximately 1,400 hotel rooms and suites, Asia’s first dynamic theater, meeting space, high end spa, retail offerings and food and beverage outlets as well as the first international Mansion at MGM for the ultimate luxury experience. The Spectacle at MGM COTAI becomes the record holder of the largest free-span gridshell glazed roof (self-supporting) on January 19, 2019, making it the first architectural and structural GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Macau, China. MGM COTAI is being developed to drive greater product diversification and bring more advanced and innovative forms of entertainment to Macau as it grows as a global tourist destination. MGM COTAI is the only mega complex and hotel in Macau to gain three-star certification in both Green Building Design and Operation Label, as well as the first hotel in the Greater Bay Area and second in Greater China to receive the certifications.

MGM China is majority owned by MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and Park MGM. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.

For media enquiries, please contact:    

Jessie Kuan

Director of Public Relations

MGM

Tel: (853) 8806 3412

Email: jessiekuan@mgm.mo

Karen Lam

Senior Corporate Relations Manager

MGM

Tel: (853) 8806 3421

Email: karenlam@mgm.mo