Chameli Vong, a student volunteer for the 1st Lusofonia Games

"I am so excited and very proud to see our country's flag being waved here in Macau. This sport event is very important because it can help promote cultural exchange between Macau and Portuguese speaking countries." she said. "I hope the 1st Lusofonia Games can be successful under its theme - "Four Continents, One Language, Unified by Sports."

Around 8000 volunteers were recruited for the success of the 1st Lusofonia games. Twelve countries from four different continents participated in the 1st Lusofonia Games; they are Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Macau-China, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome & Principe, and Equatorial Guinea; India and Sri Lanka participated as associate members. Eight sports competitions were held; they were Athletics, Basketball, Football, Futsal, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Beach Volleyball and Volleyball. The purpose of this sports event is to encourage communication and cultural exchange between the participating countries. Portugal will host the second edition of Lusofonia Games in 2009.