Chengdu World Games: China fosters friendship among peoples through sports

Themed "Boundless Sports, Countless Wonders," the 12th edition of the World Games officially opened Thursday night in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, welcoming 6,679 athletes and officials from 116 countries and regions.

As the highest-level international competition for non-Olympic sports, the Chengdu World Games will feature 34 major events, 60 sub-events and 256 minor events. The Chinese team is participating for the first time in 12 events, including floorball, cheerleading, flying disc and powerboating.

As the fifth international multi-sport event hosted in China since 2022, the Chengdu World Games goes beyond athletics, fostering cultural exchange and mutual understanding.

"Sports are a bond that promotes friendship among peoples," Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized on multiple occasions, highlighting the role of sports in encouraging inclusiveness and mutual learning among civilizations.

For Xi, hosting large-scale international events is an important window for China to embrace the world and for the world to understand China. It also helps promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

The Chengdu World Games not only showcase the appeal of traditional sports like karate, archery and powerlifting but also highlight dynamic, modern sports such as drone racing and parkour. Notably, sports designated as official events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics – like trampoline, sport climbing, flag football, softball, lacrosse and squash – will also be featured.

Traditional Chinese sports such as dragon boat racing and Wushu will make their debut as official competition events, creating a vibrant interaction between emerging sports and time-honored traditions – a standout feature of the World Games.

Throughout the event, numerous interactive activities will be held in Chengdu, giving participants the chance to experience traditional Chinese cultural arts including calligraphy, Shu embroidery and shadow puppetry firsthand.

To promote the fusion of culture and tourism, Chengdu has released a ticket discount map, offering visitors savings at many popular attractions. Sichuan Province has launched a joint travel initiative, linking world-renowned scenic spots such as Jiuzhaigou, Dujiangyan, Sanxingdui and Daocheng Yading.

By leveraging the event's global appeal, this initiative highlights the synergy between sports and Sichuan's rich cultural heritage, sharing it with audiences worldwide.

Promoting solidarity through sports

While learning from global best practices, Chinese sports have blended local culture to create a development path with Chinese characteristics. The cross-cultural appeal of sports brings hope worldwide. Through sports, China promotes peace, development and unity, actively contributing to building a better world.

President Xi Jinping emphasizes sports as a bridge and bond for cross-cultural exchanges. Under his leadership, sports have become a key part of cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and other nations.

Since 2022, China has successfully hosted major international sports events including the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the Chengdu World University Games, the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 and the Harbin Asian Winter Games earlier this year.

These events serve as vital platforms to promote the integration of Chinese culture with others, deepening mutual understanding and friendship among diverse cultures.

Sports have also been a key focus in high-level people-to-people exchange mechanisms between China and other countries.

For example, events like the Belt and Road marathon, fighting competitions, basketball and table tennis invitationals have played important roles in enhancing exchanges among Belt and Road Initiative partner countries.

Following Xi's proposal to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, sports exchanges between China and ASEAN countries have intensified, featuring cycling, marathons, badminton and football events that foster friendly ties.

These exchanges have strengthened friendships and elevated bilateral and multilateral relations to new levels.

"We should promote solidarity through sports, build up positive energy across the international community, join hands to tackle global challenges, and shape a better future through cooperation," Xi said at the opening ceremony of the 31st Summer FISU World University Games in 2023.