The chairman of the executive committee of Hong Kong's delegation at the National Games, Cheng King-leung, on Monday hailed Hong Kong's unprecedented success at the ongoing competition, saying the territory's top athletes have continued to improve since the Asian Games and the Olympics.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Cheng said the SAR's success at the games showcase the government's years-long investment in sports development, as well as the work put in by the Hong Kong Sports Institute.

Asked about recent comments by the honorary president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, that the Greater Bay Area possesses all the ingredients for a successful Olympics bid one day, Cheng said a potential bid is a national matter for the General Administration of Sport of China to consider.

He stressed that the current focus is on the National Games, and also noted that Hong Kong's capabilities in event organisation were on an international level, and the region has the resources needed to host multi-sport events.

So far, the SAR has won seven gold medals in this year's Games and Cheng attributed the success to the athletes themselves as well as the home crowd cheering them on.

Patrick Lau, a professor from Baptist University's department of sports and health sciences, said there were pleasant surprises for Hong Kong at the Games, such as the fairy tale journey of the men's handball team.

He said it underscored the need to not only focus on a few star athletes, but to find "more compelling stories" and pour in support to other promising sports in Hong Kong.