Background Information

Introduction

Jointly organised by the National Ethnic Affairs Commission of the People's Republic of China and the General Administration of Sport of China, and undertaken by the People’s Government of Hainan Province, the 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities of the People’s Republic of China (NTGEM) will be held from 22 to 30 November 2024 in Sanya of Hainan Province.

The quadrennial NTGEM were first held in 1953. Positioned as a mass participation sporting event, participants of the NTGEM are mainly amateur athletes. To encourage active involvement of people from different regions and ethnic groups, the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the competitions were replaced by First, Second and Third Prizes respectively.

The NTGEM feature competition events such as folk martial arts, dragon boat, folk equestrianism and folk wrestling, etc. and demonstration events as well as cultural activities such as opening and closing ceremonies and ethnic gala, all of which boast rich and distinctive ethnic cultures.

Participating units of the 12th NTGEM include delegations from various provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. It is the first time that the HKSAR sends a delegation to the NTGEM, and the first time that delegations from all Mainland provinces, regions and municipalities and those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan gather at a national-level sports event.

Competitions

The 12th NTGEM consist of 18 competition events, including shuttlecock, dragon boat, folk martial arts, wood ball, single-bamboo drifting, crossbow shooting, folk wrestling, folk aerobics, yajia (Tibetan tug-of-war), folk equestrianism, firecracker ball, pearl ball, cuqiu (kickball), swing, spinning top, stilt racing, board-shoe racing and coconut tree climbing. The demonstration events are classified into 3 categories, namely competitive, technical, and comprehensive categories.