CGTN: Chengdu Universiade unites the world with sports

2023-07-29 18:03:05

Peking (ots/PRNewswire) – The 31st International University Sports Federation (FISU) Summer Universiade was officially opened by China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday evening in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province in the south-west of the country.

Due to concerns related to COVID-19, the Summer Universiade has been postponed twice and is currently the focus 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, competing in 18 disciplines. It is not only a sporting event for young people from all over the world, but also an important platform for cultural exchange.

care of young people

President Xi, who believes that young people are “the future of our country and the world,” has expressed his concern for them on many occasions.

“Young people deserve the country’s support and the best protection because they carry our highest expectations. They are like young trees that thrive on the earth and will eventually grow into imposing trees that provide shelter for those who need it,” he said at a ceremony marking the centenary of the Chinese Communist Youth League in 2022.

At a meeting with county-level officials in 2015, he advised young people not to stay up late and not get too stressed at work.

For many young people, Xi is like a friend through whose words they can find inspiration.

“We should educate and guide young people to view the world appropriately, comprehensively understand national conditions and grasp the trend of the era,” Xi said in a speech at an event commemorating the centenary of the May Fourth Movement in May 2019.

“Young friends, let your youth shine even more brightly for the country, the people, the Chinese nation and humanity,” he said towards the end of the speech.

Accelerating the building of a leading sports power

Since the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012, China has attached great importance to sports development.

According to an official statement released in September 2019, China has pledged to become a leading sports power by 2050.

Recalling the role of people’s health in social development and national prosperity, Xi stressed that sport is an important way to improve people’s health and fulfill their aspirations for a better life, as well as promote comprehensive human development.

The successfully held Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in February and March 2022 are vivid demonstrations that China’s goal of involving 300 million people in ice and snow sports activities has come true. At the same time, people’s sense of satisfaction has increased noticeably.

For Chengdu, the sports venues for the Games will also benefit the public. As the city strives to become a world-renowned city for sporting events, a variety of sporting venues have been newly built and renovated, allowing residents to enjoy sports for free or with low fees.

Promote civilizational mutual exchanges

According to a press conference in April, the Chengdu Universiade will help cultivate friendship among young athletes and students from home and abroad, promote people-to-people exchanges, and promote civilizational mutual exchanges. This drives the building of a community with a common future for humanity.

The concept of a community with a shared future for humanity, proposed and explained by Xi Jinping in 2017 at the Palace of the Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, is China’s response to the challenges and problems facing the world.

In recent years, as the international community responded to the unprecedented public health crisis while striving to advance socio-economic development, Xi’s vision has been widely accepted around the world.

The ideal of the Chengdu Universiade is also in line with the Global Civilization Initiative, a major public product proposed by Xi in March this year.

“Countries must uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusion of all civilizations, and ensure that cultural exchanges overcome alienation, contention and inclusion of any sense of superiority,” Xi said.

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