The Chengdu FISU World University Games marked the 100-day countdown on Friday, with organizers unveiling the medal designs.
The 31st Universiade will be held in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province from June 26 to July 7, after being delayed from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Vice Mayor of Chengdu Liu Xuguang, work on all 49 venues was completed last April. Thirty-six of them were renovated and upgraded from existing facilities.
"We will have test events in basketball, volleyball, Judo, fencing and swimming at the venues from April to June, in order to review and improve the service to give better experience for athletes," Liu said.
In terms of COVID-19 prevention and control, the Universiade will learn from the lessons of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, with closed-loop management expected to be in place.
The Universiade flame is seen lit during a handover ceremony in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, February 25, 2022. /CFP
The design of medals was also unveiled at the World University Games Park on Friday.
Named "Rongguang," which translates to "Light of Chengdu," the design focuses on the expression of the characteristics of the Chengdu Universiade and Tianfu culture while highlighting the sporting spirit, the ancient Shu civilization and the vision of the host city.
The medals feature the "Sun and Immortal Birds" with geometric feathers, echoing the emblem of the Chengdu Universiade. The immortal bird ready for flight signifies flying to the future and dreams, which matches the slogan of the event "Chengdu Makes Dreams Come True."
The designs of the Chengdu Universiade medals are seen at a ceremony marking the 100-day countdown to the events in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, March 18, 2022. /CFP
The medals with their unique pictorial elements and symbols connected to Chengdu manifest China's 5,000-year-old civilization and express Chengdu's confidence in hosting the games as well as the good wishes to the student athletes, according to the designer.
A total of 269 gold medals are up for grabs across 18 sports, including in athletics, swimming and taekwondo.
This will be the third time that China will host the Universiade, after the 2001 edition in Beijing and 2011 iteration in Shenzhen.
(With input from Xinhua)