The closing ceremony of the 31st International University Sports Federation World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, August 8, 2023. /CFP
The men's water polo match between Italy and Hungary on Tuesday became the final event of the 31st International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province.
As the reigning champions of the event, Italy defended their honor by defeating Hungary 13-11 and won their 17th gold medal at the Universiade. They are fourth on the medal table, behind South Korea, Japan and the hosts China, who have won 103 golds, 40 silvers and 35 bronzes.
A total of 6,500 athletes from 113 countries and regions around the world participated in 269 events across 18 sports in Chengdu between July 28 and August 8. Not only did they compete with some of the world's top athletes in their age, they also had a good taste of the traditional culture of Chengdu.
The closing ceremony of the 31st International University Sports Federation World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, August 8, 2023. /CFP
As the directors of the closing ceremony, Jia Ding and Wei Sijia wanted to keep up their creativity that for the University Games until the end and, thus, moved the closing ceremony out of the stadium to the Chengdu Open Air Music Park. It was the first time for a major international sports event to wrap up in the open air.
An autostereoscopic Davidia involucrate (also known as "Dove Tree"), grew from the main stage all the way high to the air to mark the beginning of the ceremony. Its blossoms changed into the shape of doves to spread the wishes for peace all over the sky.
All performances at the closing ceremony, as well as many of the details of its design, were combinations of the vitality of the young generation and the legacies of Chengdu from its long history.
The closing ceremony of the 31st International University Sports Federation World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, August 8, 2023. /CFP
As the ceremony went on, the FISU flag was lowered and handed over to Mahmut Ozdemir, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community of Germany. In another two years, the 32nd edition of the World University Games will take place in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.
A program entitled "Passionately Connected by Water and Fire" was presented on the stage to mark the start time of Rhine-Ruhr 2025 for the Universiade. Citizens from Rhine-Ruhr greeted their counterparts in Chengdu on cellphone screens installed on the stage and sent invitations to the next World University Games.