The 31st International University Sports Federation (FISU) Summer World University Games officially opened in Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Friday night, as declared by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Postponed twice due to COVID-19 concerns, the Summer Universiade is currently at the center of global attention.
The event, which runs from July 28 to August 8, has attracted around 6,500 athletes from over 113 countries and regions to participate across 18 disciplines. It is not only a sports event for young people around the world, but also an important platform for cultural exchanges.
Care for young people
President Xi, who believes that young people are "the future of our nation and of the world," has expressed his care for them on many occasions.
"For the Party and the country, young people deserve the best protection and bear our highest expectations. They are like the young trees thriving on Earth that will eventually grow into towering trees to provide shelter for those in need," he said at a ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Youth League of China in 2022.
When meeting the country's county-level officials in 2015, he advised young people to avoid staying up late or becoming too stressed at work.
For many young people, Xi is like a friend from whose words they can find inspiration.
"We should educate and guide young people to view the world properly, to understand the national conditions comprehensively, and to grasp the trend of the era," Xi said in a speech at a gathering to commemorate the centenary of the May Fourth Movement in May 2019.
"Young friends, let your youth shine even more in the sacrifice for the country, the people, the Chinese nation and humanity," he said near the end of the speech.
Speed up building a leading sports power
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, China has attached great significance to the cause of sports.
It has pledged to become a leading sports power by 2050, according to an official outline issued in September 2019.
Noting the role of the people's health in social development and national prosperity, Xi stressed that sport is an important way to improve people's health, and an important method to fulfill their aspirations for a better life and promote well-rounded human development.
The successfully held Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in February and March 2022 are vivid demonstrations, during which China's goal of involving 300 million people in ice and snow activities has come true, with people's sense of contentment notably enhanced.
For Chengdu, sports venues for the Games will also benefit the public. As the city strives to build itself into a world-famous city of sports events, a large number of sports venues have been newly built and renovated, enabling residents to enjoy sports free of charge or at low fees.
Promote civilizational mutual learning
The Chengdu Universiade will contribute to cultivating friendship among young athletes and university students from home and abroad, promoting people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, according to a press conference about the preparations for the event in April.
The concept of a community with a shared future for mankind proposed and expounded by Xi in 2017 at the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, is China's answer to the challenges and problems facing the world.
As the international community responded to the unprecedented public health crisis while striving to promote socioeconomic development in recent years, Xi's vision has been widely accepted worldwide.
The ideal of the Chengdu Universiade also echoes the Global Civilization Initiative, a major public product proposed by Xi in March this year.
"Countries need to uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, and let cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and inclusiveness transcend any sense of superiority," said Xi.
(Cover: Fireworks outside the main stadium of Dongan Lake Sports Park during the opening ceremony of the 31st International University Sports Federation Summer World University Games in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, July 28, 2023. /CFP)