Deepening exchanges, broadening horizons, and enhancing friendship (focusing on the Universiade) Delegation | Sports | Universiade

On July 31st, volunteers communicated with foreign athletes.

Photo by our reporter Li Yanfei

On July 29th, after the men's water polo group stage of the Chengdu Universiade, members of the Chinese university sports delegation shook hands with members of the Italian university sports delegation.

Photo by our reporter Jiang Yushi

On July 31st, at the artistic gymnastics competition site of the Chengdu Universiade, members of the Chinese university sports delegation and the Romanian sports delegation took a group photo at the sidelines.

Photo by our reporter Jiang Yushi

On July 31st, judges, technical officials and mascot "Rongbao" took a group photo as a souvenir.

Photo by our reporter Yi Xiao

The millennium old Chengdu is now gathering youthful vitality from all over the world. In recent days, 6500 athletes from 113 countries and regions have been chasing their dreams, forming friendships, and gaining growth on the stage of the Chengdu Universiade. Struggle, encouragement, congratulations, communication, sharing... The scenes on and off the field have touched and inspired many athletes and people from all walks of life from various countries and regions. They praised the Chengdu Universiade as not only providing a platform for Chinese and foreign university athletes to showcase themselves and enhance friendship, but also an important window for international friends to understand Chinese culture and perceive China's development. It has effectively promoted the gathering of young people around the world through sports, and has united forces to deepen exchanges and mutual learning, and promote human progress.

A sports event showcasing youth and vitality

On July 30th, at the Chengdu High tech Sports Center Gymnasium, the men's table tennis team match was taking place, with Brazil facing Switzerland. At the end of each goal, both off court teammates applaud. After the game, the team members from both sides applauded to celebrate the successful completion of a thrilling match together. Brazilian university sports representative athlete Luis Camaro said, "The atmosphere on the field is tense, enthusiastic, and full of warmth. Although we lost the game, we enjoyed the process very much and also discovered our own shortcomings. The Chengdu Universiade has given us many opportunities to learn."

The Brazilian university sports delegation was the first overseas delegation to arrive in Chengdu, and Camaro praised everything he saw and heard in China in the past few days. "What impressed me the most was the opening ceremony of the Universiade, which will be an unforgettable memory of my life," Camaro said. "Now, what we need to do is look forward, turn a new page, and welcome the upcoming competition."

"Before coming to China, I was very much looking forward to the Chengdu Universiade. Coming to Chengdu, the enthusiastic people, advanced facilities, and thoughtful arrangements far exceeded my expectations." Lucas Tohatan, a basketball player from the Romanian university sports delegation, said, "We cherish this trip to the Chengdu Universiade and have made full preparations for it. We hope to perform at our best in the competition."

"The level of competition at the Universiade is very high, and the strength of college athletes is very strong." Josha Admar, a track and field athlete from the Haitian college sports delegation, is a psychology major college student. In his view, the gathering of young people from different academic backgrounds and sports in Chengdu showcases the charm of the Universiade. He hopes to improve his skills and make progress at this Universiade by exchanging ideas with athletes from different sports delegations.

A communication platform for enhancing friendship and understanding

During the preparation for the Universiade, Garti Magar Nima, a martial arts athlete from the Nepalese university sports delegation, trained in Nanning, Guangxi and formed a precious friendship with the members of the Chinese university sports delegation; After the competition, table tennis player Ginipa Savitabut from the Thai university sports delegation exchanged badges with players from the Slovak university sports delegation as a souvenir; Outside the field, two athletes from the Colombian and Spanish university sports delegations received birthday gifts at the Universiade Village Gala... The Universiade is a grand event of friendship, and promoting unity through sports is an important theme of the Chengdu Universiade.

At this year's Universiade, I met many old friends. Daniel Hu, a martial arts athlete from the American college sports delegation, has been training in China for a long time and has had close exchanges with many Chinese martial arts athletes. "Chinese athletes are enthusiastic and friendly, providing us with a lot of help. This time, I also got to know Cao Maoyuan, and I am very happy that he won the first gold medal for the Chinese university sports delegation," he said.

This year's Universiade also launched the Youth Journalist Program, where more than 20 representatives of Chinese and foreign university student journalists gathered in Chengdu to report on the event from a media and youth perspective. Hassan from Moshud Abiola Technological University in Nigeria is one of them. He said that the Youth Journalist Program provides practical opportunities for world university students to participate in international event reporting, promoting learning, mutual assistance, and cultural exchange among young people. "We not only honed our professional skills together, but also deepened our understanding of each other's cultures," Hassan said.

"Whether it's athletes or spectators, through sports activities, people are more likely to get closer to each other and establish emotional connections." Namsha Marangu, the President of the South African University Sports Federation, said she understands that ticket sales for the Chengdu Universiade are very hot. "People come to the scene to watch the competition and support the Universiade by example, which is an example of Chinese people embracing sports, respecting different cultures, and promoting unity and friendship."

Perceiving the Window of Chinese Culture and Development

As night falls, the cultural interaction area of Dayun Village is bustling and bustling. Experience events such as cuju, pitching, and Xinjin rope weaving make athletes linger and forget to leave. Here, athletes from the French university sports delegation wear Hanfu to experience the charm of classical Chinese clothing; Over there, athletes from the South African university sports delegation sit in front of the traditional Chinese medicine consultation table, experiencing "observing, hearing, questioning, and cutting"

In front of the traditional Chinese instrument stall, Ademar was very interested and tried playing the pipa and flute. When the flute played melodious music in his hands, the surrounding audience applauded. Admar, who used to play saxophone in a university band, said, "The rich cultural activities in the Universiade Village allow me to deeply experience Chinese culture. I need to make good use of this opportunity to learn more about China."

In the business and leisure area on the first floor of the Art Center, the interactive "low-carbon Rubik's Cube" attracts athletes to queue up and experience. Athletes can place recyclable items such as mineral water bottles and cans at the recycling point to automatically scan and print carbon point receipts, which can be exchanged for special small gifts. Volk Yang Colin, a badminton player from the German university sports delegation, exchanged a T-shirt. He excitedly said, "Both inside and outside the venue, I have noticed that China attaches great importance to green development. I specially left 5 water bottles and came to queue early to experience this green and low-carbon interactive device, joining the green action together."

"The Chengdu Universiade showcases China's consistently high standards of competition level and ability, providing an open, inclusive, and multi-dimensional platform for mutual learning and learning among world university students, sports and education professionals." Ma Langu said that for university students, coming to Chengdu, a city with a long history and vitality, participating in high-level international competitions, perceiving different cultures, expanding international perspectives, and harvesting beautiful friendships, is a very rare life experience, and also a reflection of the educational significance of the Universiade.