Happy Chengdu Welcoming the Universiade World | Hosted | Chengdu
Chengdu, which has been rated as the "happiest city in China" for 14 consecutive years, is loved by citizens and tourists for its fireworks. Nowadays, "Fireworks Chengdu" is being infused with another temperament.
The 31st World University Summer Games will be held in Chengdu from July 28th to August 8th. As this international sports event approaches, the sports atmosphere in the host city of Chengdu is becoming increasingly strong.
Riding along the 100 kilometer green road around the city is a popular sport in Chengdu. Without the need for professional equipment, some citizens even rode shared bicycles to the stage. According to data from a certain platform during this year's May Day holiday, the total mileage of shared bicycles on the Chengdu Ring Greenway increased by 139% month on month.
There are more and more basketball courts in parks and on the streets, and some idle spaces under elevated bridges have also been transformed into basketball courts, which are loved by citizens due to their low sun exposure and good ventilation. Xiong Yan, the director of the Chengdu Sports Bureau, quoted a statement on a social media platform, saying, "In Chengdu, people's attention and participation in basketball exceed that of hotpot, and their attention to sports has surpassed that of mahjong."
There is more to this kind of transcendence. The data shows that Chengdu ranks first in the quality evaluation of sports public services nationwide; Chengdu has also been listed as the most dynamic city by third-party organizations. "Chengdu is full of genes and vitality in sports," said Zhu Jiangli, Deputy Director of Chengdu Sports Bureau.
These changes quietly occurred in the atmosphere of "Love Chengdu and Welcome the Universiade". In December 2018, Chengdu was awarded the hosting rights for the 31st Summer Universiade. It was originally scheduled to be held in August 2021. Influenced by factors such as the COVID-19, the Chengdu Universiade was scheduled to be held in 2023 after two postponements.
In the four years of preparing for the Universiade, Chengdu overcame the influence of factors such as the COVID-19, shouted the loud slogan of "Love Chengdu and welcome the Universiade", and made overall efforts to promote the work on the event side, the city side and the culture side in the aspects of venue construction, event preparation, urban development, cultural exchange, etc.
In Chengdu, the towering Universiade sports venues not only belong to athletes, but also to citizens. In fact, due to venue construction, Chengdu citizens were the first to experience the joy brought by the competition compared to athletes. The Chengdu Universiade has 49 venues, including 13 newly built venues and 36 renovated venues. The hardware and service software of the venues meet international competition standards. Chengdu has formulated the Implementation Plan for the Opening of Chengdu Universiade Venues to Benefit the People, promoting the full utilization and classification of Universiade venues.
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At the Chengdu Fenghuangshan Sports Park, the venue of the Universiade, outdoor basketball courts and national fitness centers are open to citizens for free or at a low cost. The swimming and diving hall of Dong'an Lake Sports Park, the venue of the Universiade, is open for citizens to experience diving. The Chengbei Sports Center, which is remembered by many old Chengdu residents, has been renovated as a venue for the Universiade, but the admission price remains affordable, making it a "new home" for many table tennis enthusiasts. In the era of "Jia A", Chengdu was once known by fans as one of the "Three Gold Medal Baseball Cities". Nowadays, at the professional football field of Fenghuangshan Sports Park in Chengdu, every Chinese Super League match can ignite the passion of the citizens. The resounding sound in the stadium makes people exclaim "the return of the gold medal market". The once remote suburban areas have also become lively with the popularity of the "football market".
According to data, in 2022, the venues of the Chengdu Universiade were open to the public for 76300 hours, with 5.0948 million people open for free or at a low cost, and a total of 727 various competitions were held.
The sports venues closer to the citizens are the "golden corners and silver edges" of the city. The elevated bridge under a section of the expressway extension line in Chenghua District, Chengdu was originally an idle space. After renovation, the "gray elevated bridge" has become a "green sports field" with many sports venues such as basketball courts, badminton courts, and roller skating areas. At the top of the parking building at the Jinsha Bus Hub in Chengdu, a Sky Forest Sports Park project covering an area of approximately 12000 square meters was unveiled at the beginning of this year. It includes two standard basketball courts, two five-a-side football fields, a 400 meter national fitness trail, and other facilities, which are open until 11 pm every day.
The "Guidelines for Setting up Sports Spaces at Homes in Chengdu" compiled by the city of Chengdu provides a number of successful renovation cases, proposing the construction of a "15 minute fitness circle" to meet the physical exercise needs of citizens.
The above plan has made significant progress. As of the end of 2022, there were 64000 sports facilities in Chengdu, with over 5000 kilometers of Tianfu Greenway built and over 1700 sports facilities implanted.
Data shows that in 2022, the total output value and added value of the sports industry in Chengdu reached 100.5 billion yuan and 38.5 billion yuan, respectively, an increase of 59% and 79% compared to 2018. In 2022, the total scale of sports consumption in Chengdu reached 57.86 billion yuan, an increase of 44.5% compared to 2018. Chengdu has been selected as one of the first national sports consumption pilot cities.
"Organizing the Universiade is not only the preparation of events, but also the preparation of the city. It is not only the material preparation, but also the preparation of the hearts of the citizens." Gao Yiqiang, Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Chengdu Universiade Executive Committee, said, "Chengdu will host more sports events in the future. The Universiade is an important step taken by Chengdu to build a world-renowned city for sports events."
Reporter Wang Xinxin from China Youth Daily and China Youth Network
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