A parallel event to mark the 38th Olympic Day was launched in Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie, on June 23, 2024. This was the first time Sangzhi County hosted such an event. As one of the 14 sub-venues for Olympic Day celebrations, Sangzhi has organized various activities such as intangible cultural heritage performances and a happy run, integrating sports and culture into a cohesive event.

Olympic Day aims to encourage global participation in sports, regardless of gender, age, or athletic ability. This year's Olympic Day, with the theme "Let's Move," served as inspiration for the main event in Beijing and local events held in 13 other Chinese cities and counties, including Sangzhi, Zhangjiakou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing.

The Olympic Day activities were organized in both online and offline forms. A "Lets' Move" Challenge was held online, and various sports events with local characteristics were organized offline.

The happy run event in Sangzhi was participated by more than 500 sports enthusiasts from all walks of life. They ran on the 3.8-km route along Liuhong Road, which connects the Former Residence of Marshal He Long and the departure point of the Long March of a Red Army troop.

Sangzhi County is the birthplace of He Long, a great military leader of the People's Republic of China and also a pioneer in Chinese sports who has laid a solid foundation for the development of Chinese sports. It is also the departure point of the Long March of a Red Army troop, and the origin and center of the Hunan-Hubei junction, Hunan-Hubei western, and Hunan-Hubei-Sichuan-Guizhou revolutionary bases. It has been titled as a national advanced county in sports, and an advanced unit in promoting mass sports. In recent years, the county has organized a number of mass sports events, such as hiking through western Hunan, health run, youth basketball championship, and the China Outdoor Fitness and Leisure Conference, which have fueled the high-quality development of the county economy.

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

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunantoday