The passion for sports in China reached a new height on Wednesday evening as 
the country's most important multisport event kicked off in Xi'an, capital of 
northwest China's Shaanxi Province. 

(Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g73idx3u5B8)

"I declare open the 14th National Games of the People's Republic of China," 
Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the opening ceremony of the 
quadrennial Games, dubbed as China's "mini Olympics." 

The event comes amid a busy national sporting calendar. At the Tokyo Olympics 
from July to August, China won 38 golds, 32 silvers and 18 bronzes, equaling 
its haul of gold medals at London 2012 for the best performance at an overseas 
Olympics. The country topped the medal tally at the Tokyo Paralympic Games that 
concluded earlier this month with 207 medals (96 golds, 60 silvers and 51 
bronzes). 

Moreover, Beijing will host the Winter Olympic Games in next February and 
become the first city to host both summer and winter Olympics.

'True champion'

Inaugurated in 1959, the National Games is the most prestigious domestic 
sporting gala in China. Under the theme of "Games for All, Together in Mind and 
Action," the 14th National Games features a total of 54 sports and 595 events, 
of which 35 sports and 410 events are for elite athletes, with the remainder 
mass sports programs. 

More than 12,000 athletes representing China's provinces, municipalities and 
autonomous regions, the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, the 
Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and specific sporting associations 
will compete at the Games, which will run through to September 27.

It was the third time that President Xi has attended the opening ceremony of 
the Games since becoming Chinese president in 2013. 

A keen sports fan, he is interested in a variety of sports, including soccer, 
volleyball and swimming. He has placed sports high on his agenda during his 
activities inside the country and abroad. He has visited venues for the Beijing 
2022 Winter Olympics, met with representatives of the Chinese women's 
volleyball team, attended the opening ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter 
Olympics, and watched a youth soccer match in Germany.  

He has also talked with the world's top sports officials such as International 
Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, president of the Fédération 
Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Gianni Infantino and president of 
the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Horacio Muratore. 

"President Xi is a true champion and I want to give him a set of medals because 
he has a clear vision about the important role of sports in society, and the 
importance of sports for education for the young people. So in this respect, he 
is the true Olympic champion for the youth," Bach told reporters when Xi paid a 
visit to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2017.

Sports powerhouse

Since winning its first Olympic gold medal in 1984, China has made remarkable 
progress in sports - not just in competitions, but among hundreds of millions 
of ordinary Chinese. 

The hosting major international sporting events, including the Beijing 1990 
Asian Games, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the 2015 World Championships in 
Athletics, has greatly boosted fervor for sports among the public, as has the 
development of professional sports leagues in China.

President Xi has on many occasions expounded on his understanding of sports and 
taken the lead in the efforts to turn the country into a sports powerhouse, a 
goal he described as part of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. 

"Sports are an important indicator of social development and human progress, 
and an important manifestation of overall national strength and social 
civility," he said when meeting with IOC President Bach in Nanjing in 2014. 

During his meeting with FIBA President Muratore in 2019, Xi said sports are an 
important part of both China's prosperity and the people's healthy and happy 
lives, noting that China is building itself into a leading sports nation. 

After Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, Xi called for 
efforts to engage more than 300 million people in winter sports across the 
country. 

The National Games and the upcoming Winter Olympics are set to become new 
milestones on China's journey towards a full-fledged global sports powerhouse.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-09-16/China-s-fervor-for-sports-continues-with-opening-of-mini-Olympics--13AThvbuswM/index.html 


SOURCE  CGTN