China started its second youth games in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, on Thursday.
The date, August 8, marks China's 11th National Fitness Day, a tradition that started in 2008 when China hosted the Beijing Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games. Across the nation, a sports craze has seized people of various age groups.
The games running until August 18 have attracted around 33,000 athletes from 34 delegations across the country competing in 1,868 events of 49 sports.
Athletes marching on at the opening ceremony included those from China's Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao.
Riders compete at the track cycling event at the Second China Youth Games, August 7, 2019. /VCG Photo
It is the biggest multi-sport gala ever held in Taiyuan, a famous city with a history of over 4,700 years.
The Youth Games, previously known as China City Games, was inaugurated in 1988 and became China Youth Games in 2013 as an effort to follow the Olympic Youth Games (OYG) after Singapore held the first OYG in 2010.
Like OYG, for the China Youth Games education is as important as competition and, on a social level, young athletes are encouraged to make new friends during the Games.
The first youth games in China were held between October 18 and 27, 2015, in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province.
Compared with the Games in Fuzhou, this second edition includes winter sports to tune-up for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Chinese wrestler Yu Linglong competes at the women's 55kg weightlifting event at the Second China Youth Games, August 7, 2019. /VCG Photo
Prior to the official opening, competitions started earlier on January 14 with host athlete Yu Yang winning the ladies' snowboard parallel giant slalom, the first gold medal of the Games.
Apart from Taiyuan, 10 other cities in the province will co-host the Games. Among the 58 stadiums and other facilities built or refurbished for the Games, 15 are located in Shanxi's capital city.
(With input from Xinhua)