"Hosting sporting events is about developing cities" is a defining feature of Guangdong's approach to sports development. At China's 15th National Games, Guangdong's 21 cities made a collective appearance under the banner of "one city, one brand." With cities competing against one another at the Guangdong Provincial Games, each drew on its traditional strengths in different sports, turning its sporting identity into a vivid presence on the medal table.

Known as the "City of Judo," Zhaoqing posted its best-ever performance with six gold, five silver and five bronze medals, leading the province in judo golds; Foshan, known as the "Hometown of Dragon Boats," swept multiple titles in the straight-line sprint races of the mass-participation dragon boat events, completing a clean sweep across all events it entered; the "Basketball City" of Dongguan saw its women's basketball team win gold in Group A, backed by a strong foundation of more than 6,700 basketball courts and over 5,000 games held across the city each year; Meizhou, the "Hometown of Football," saw its women's teams reach the podium in all three age groups, carrying on the tradition of nurturing young talent in the hometown of the "King of Football"; Shantou, a "Paradise for Surfing," claimed its first gold medal in the competitive sports category, etching the city's spirit of "daring to stand at the crest of the roaring waves" into the surf; and Zhanjiang, known as the "Hometown of Diving," continued to capitalize on its coastal advantages and affinity with water, with young divers repeatedly reaching the podium and maintaining a strong pool of talent.

At the same time, cities across Guangdong have tapped into underused urban spaces to build a province-wide network of 15-minute fitness circles. Guangzhou carried out targeted upgrades at 30 sports venues, enabling residents in central urban areas to access professional facilities close to home; Zhuhai has built 1,290 kilometers of greenways and a three-tier cycling network spanning the coast, rivers and lakes, and mountains, making cycling part of everyday urban life; Taishan in Jiangmen has turned the traditional sport of 9-man volleyball, listed as intangible cultural heritage, into the "Qiao VA" mass-participation sports brand, bringing volleyball from professional courts into fields and villages; Yangjiang has brought kite-flying into schools, incorporating the traditional sport into the development of young people; Huizhou has developed a number of street skateboarding facilities, creating more space for public participation in emerging sports; and Shenzhen has built a citywide fitness network with nearly 50,000 sports facilities, harnessing technology to improve public sports services and making fitness resources readily accessible.

广东21城体育性格“内外兼修”绽放活力

“办赛就是办城”是广东体育发展的鲜明落点。在2025年十五运会上，广东21个地市以“一市一品”的体育性格标签集体亮相。省运会以地市为单位同台竞技，21城依托自身传统优势项目集中发力，一张张“城市体育名片”，在奖牌榜上得到生动印证。

“柔道之城”肇庆创下6金5银5铜的历史最佳战绩，项目金牌数居全省首位；“龙舟之乡”佛山在群众组龙舟赛事中包揽多项直道竞速冠军，实现报项大满贯；“篮球之城”东莞女篮甲组摘金，背后是全市6700多个篮球场、年均5000余场赛事的深厚土壤；“足球之乡”梅州女足三个组别全部站上领奖台，延续着“球王故里”深耕青训的传承脉络；“冲浪胜地”汕头拿下竞技体育组首枚金牌，将“敢向潮头立”的城市精神镌刻在浪尖；“跳水之乡”湛江延续滨海亲水禀赋，小将多次站上领奖台，保持着强大的人才储备厚度……

与此同时，全省各地深挖城市“金角银边”，织密全域覆盖的“15分钟健身圈”。广州对30座场馆微改造，让核心城区市民就近享受专业设施；珠海建成1290公里绿道与“滨海—河湖—山地”三级骑行网络，让骑行融入城市日常；江门台山以“九人排球”非遗打造“侨VA”群众赛事品牌，让排球从专业赛场走进田间地头；阳江推动风筝进校园，将传统运动融入青少年成长体系；惠州布局一批街头滑板场地，为新兴运动留足大众参与空间；深圳以近5万个体育场地构建全域健身网络，用科技赋能公共体育服务，实现健身资源触手可及。

统筹丨林本剑 
文丨记者 赵亮晨
翻译丨魏薇
审校丨曾敏