Chengdu Universiade is coming! These points are worth looking forward to.
BEIJING, Beijing, July 28 (Xinhua) Today, the 31st Summer Universiade in Chengdu will officially kick off. This is the third Universiade in Chinese mainland after 2001 and 2011, and the first comprehensive international sports event in western China.
As one of the largest and most prestigious sports feasts in the world, every Universiade will attract thousands of student athletes to participate in the competition. "Chengdu achieves dreams" is a sincere invitation from Chengdu to the world. From July 28th to August 8th, the Chengdu Universiade was full of wonderful performances.
The main stadium of Chengdu Universiade under the sunshine. Photo courtesy of Zhongjian Oriental Decoration
Aspect 1: The opening ceremony is simple and wonderful.
On the evening of 28th, the opening ceremony of Chengdu Universiade will be held in the main stadium of Donganhu Sports Park. It is reported that the opening ceremony follows the principle of "simplicity, safety and excitement". The scale of actors and volunteers is nearly 2,000, and the overall duration is less than 100 minutes, while the cultural performances are compressed to 15 minutes.
The theme of the opening ceremony also echoes the slogan of Chengdu Universiade, "Chengdu makes dreams come true". The 15-minute literary performance "Pursuing Dreams in Youth" consists of three paragraphs: Light of Youth, Vitality of Youth and Friendship of Youth, focusing on showing the good features of young people from the emotional and spiritual levels.
According to Chen Weiya, the general director, in order to present more wonderful things in a limited time, many creative ideas were also incorporated into the opening ceremony, making the necessary ceremony more memorable and artistic. The full use of high technology also enables more creativity to be realized in limited time and space, making the field full of artistic imagination and sense of space.
Aspect 2: Archery water polo takes the lead in starting the game.
On the day before the opening ceremony, archery and water polo took the lead. The China college archery team played in the recurve bow competition, which was the first appearance of the China delegation at the Chengdu Universiade.
Image source: official website, Chengdu Universiade
After a day of competition, in the men’s recurve bow team competition, China stopped in the quarter-elimination. The women’s team defeated Poland and India successively, and advanced to the women’s recurve bow team final.
The water polo competition is the first water event to start this Universiade. On the afternoon of 27th, the China men’s team played its first opponent, the Georgian team, in the water polo group match, and finally lost to the opponent at 7:13, which missed a good start.
Aspect 3: China athletes hit the first gold medal of the Universiade
The first gold medal of this Universiade will be produced in the martial arts event on the 29th. On the morning of 29th, the men’s Nanquan competition started first, and Sichuan athlete Cao Maoyuan played on behalf of the China team.
It is reported that Cao Maoyuan began to learn martial arts at the age of 5 and has been insisting on it for more than 20 years. Currently studying in Chengdu Institute of Physical Education, he has participated in many competitions and won national, provincial and municipal championships.
In order to prepare for the Universiade, Cao Maoyuan and his teammates conducted 28 days of closed training before the game. In an interview with the media before, he said that he hoped to get the gold medal at home.
The mascot of the Universiade "Rongbao" is hand-made. China News Service reporter Yang Kejia photo
Aspect 4: Rookie veterans gather in Chengdu
The Universiade has always been known as the "Little Olympics", and countless sports stars have started their legendary careers from here.
The China delegation of the Universiade consists of more than 700 people, among whom 411 athletes from more than 100 universities in 25 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) will compete in all 18 major events of the Universiade.
The average age of athletes is 22.9 years old. Among the 411 athletes, 387 participated in the Summer Universiade for the first time, 344 participated in the World Comprehensive Games for the first time on behalf of the country, and only 24 participated in the previous Universiade.
In other words, this Universiade, the China delegation will be led by newcomers. However, among the teenagers, there are also many familiar faces. For example, divers Zhang Jiaqi, swimmers Zhang Yufei and Qin Haiyang, and gymnasts Zou Jingyuan and Zhang Boheng will all appear on the stage of Chengdu Universiade.
Data Map: Zhang Yufei celebrated her victory after winning the World Championships. China News Service reporter Tang Yanjun photo
Tonight, the Chengdu Universiade will officially open, and the dreams of young athletes from all over the world will gather here. This summer, Chengdu achieved its dream.