Youth Games Begins in Guangxi

Xinhua/APP

Nanning: Athletes are gathering in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to showcase their athletic capabilities and aspirations for the future as the first Student (Youth) Games of China open on Sunday and will last until November 15.

This marks the first time that Guangxi has hosted a comprehensive national sports event.

The Games are the result of a merger of the National Youth Games and the National Student Games as part of China’s endeavour to improve the country’s youth sports system. It is stated in a 2020 guideline on deepening the integration of sports and education to promote the healthy development of China’s youth.

The Ministry of Education, the General Administration of Sports, and the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League organised the Games, featuring 39 sports, 51 disciplines and 805 events in open and campus categories, where more than 18,000 athletes will participate.

In the past, campus and professional youth sports competitions were separately held in China, and many students had to give up their studies in order to become professional athletes.