Chinese State Councillor Shen Yiqin officially opened the 12th edition of The World Games on Thursday night at the Tianfu International Convention Center in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

This marks the first time the Games, a multi-sport event showcasing sports that are not (or not yet) part of the Olympic program, will be hosted on the Chinese mainland. 

In another historic moment, the Chengdu World Games featured a torch relay on July 26 at the iconic Sanxingdui Museum, the cultural center of southwest China's Sichuan Province, with 120 torchbearers participating in this milestone event.