The 14th Sports Games of Hunan opened at the Yueyang Sports Center on the evening of September 8, 2022.

Zhang Qingwei, secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and director of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People's Congress, attended the opening ceremony and declared the Games open.

Mao Weiming, deputy secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and Hunan governor, addressed the opening ceremony.

Li Weiwei, chairwoman of the CPPCC Hunan Provincial Committee, and Zhu Guoxian, deputy secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, were present.

The 14th Sports Games of Hunan opened at the Yueyang Sports Center on the evening of September 8, 2022. Secretary Zhang Qingwei attended the opening ceremony and declared the Games open. (Photo/Tang Jun, Hunan Daily)

The 14th Sports Games of Hunan opened at the Yueyang Sports Center on the evening of September 8, 2022. Hunan Governor Mao Weiming addressed the opening ceremony. (Photo/Liu Shangwen, Hunan Daily)

The 14th Sports Games of Hunan opened at the Yueyang Sports Center on the evening of September 8, 2022. (Photo/Li Jian and Fu Cong, Hunan Daily)

Provincial leaders present at the opening ceremony included Li Dianxun, Wu Guiying, Sui Zhongcheng, Xie Weijiang, Wei Jianfeng, Yang Haodong, and Liu Lianyu.

Hunan Vice Governor He Baoxiang presided over the ceremony.

At the opening ceremony. (Photo/Li Jian and Fu Cong, Hunan Daily)

At 20:00 on that evening, the referee and athlete representatives entered the stadium accompanied by the March of Athletes. All the audiences stood up and sang the national anthem, and the national flag of the People's Republic of China was raised. As the anthem of the 14th Sports Games of Hunan was played, the flags of the Games and this session were raised.

At the opening ceremony of the 14th Sports Games of Hunan. (Photo/Li Jian and Fu Cong, Hunan Daily) 

At 20:35, Secretary Zhang Qingwei declared the Games open. Applause and cheers resounded through the sports center.

Governor Mao Weiming greeted the athletes, coaches, referees, and working staff participating in the Games, on behalf of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and the Hunan Provincial People's Government. He expected the Games organization committee and the Yueyang government to present a streamlined, eco-friendly, safe, and splendid Games with meticulous organization and considerate services. All the athletes were encouraged to carry forward the Olympic spirit and China's sporting spirit, and substantiate the "Faster, Higher, Stronger" competitiveness. He called the whole province to further motivate the spirit of forging ahead, to continue to create new glory in fully implementing the positioning, missions, and tasks of the "Three Hubs and Four New Missions" Strategy, and set the stage for the 20th National Congress of the CPC with concrete actions.

Themed cultural and sports performances were staged at the opening ceremony.

An athlete lit up the cauldron. (Photo/ Li Jian and Fu Cong, Hunan Daily)

The torch was relayed by Tian Qin, Xie Yonghong, Long Qingquan, and Tian Yong successively. Zhou Qian, bronze medal winner in the women's freestyle 76kg categories at the Tokyo Olympics, lit up the cauldron.

At the opening ceremony. (Photo/Li Jian and Fu Cong, Hunan Daily)

The 14th Sports Games of Hunan is hosted by the Hunan Provincial People's Government, and organized by the Hunan Sports Bureau and the Yueyang Municipal People's Government. It lasts from August 14 to September 18, with some competitions held ahead of the opening ceremony. Over the Games, 650 events across 28 sports are set for the teenage group, including basketball, volleyball, football, tennis, Ping-Pong, and badminton; and, 84 events across 11 sports set for the adult group, such as basketball, men's football, tennis, Ping-Pong, and badminton. A total of 7,745 teenager athletes in 15 teams, and 2,132 adult ones in 14 teams participate.

During the opening and concluding ceremony, the finals of 25 sports will be held. Except canoe slalom and golf events, all other events are held in Yueyang City.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn