The opening ceremony of the 2019 World Police and Fire Games was held in Chengdu, the capital city of south-west China's Sichuan Province, on Thursday night.

Over 8,000 personnel from police and fire departments in 79 countries will take part in the event.

In the ceremony, the Games' promotional ambassador Jackie Chan and Sichuan singer Tan Weiwei performed the duet "Joy and Glory," the event's official theme.

75-year-old singer Peter Chen from China's Taiwan went back to his birth place Chengdu and sang the patriotic song "Me and My Motherland" with the police representative from the Macao Special Administrative Region.

The flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region along with the characters "Hong Kong, China" were displayed on a giant screen, when a delegation from China's Hong Kong stepped into the stadium.

Members of the audience shouted “Go, go” in the local Sichuan dialect to Hong Kong police, who waved toy pandas.

After a silent tribute for deceased personnel, police and fire vehicles also took part in the parades.

Compared with typical sport events, the participants of the Games are active and retired police officers and firefighters, but not professional athletes.

There are 56 events in the Games, including characteristic items such as a firefighter's steeplechase, police motorcycle riding, shooting events, a stair race and so on.

The World Police & Fire Games has taken place every two years since 1985, with the first one taking place in California, the U.S. It is called the Olympics for police and fire personnel. 

The Chengdu edition has four events held in the U.S. and will end on August 18.

(Cover photo via VCG)

(With input from agencies)