'Kashgar Cup' int'l youth football tournament in full swing in Xinjiang

China

'Kashgar Cup' int'l youth football tournament in full swing in Xinjiang

2025-06-29 17:56 Last Updated At：23:37

The second Kashgar Cup, an international youth football tournament which kicked off Tuesday in Kashgar Prefecture of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has been in full swing among 12 teams from seven countries.

The young footballers, from China, Russia, and five Central Asian countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are set to compete in 26 matches during the week-long sporting event.

Compared with the first edition, the tournament this year has been fully updated, with four more teams participating.

This event has become an important platform for exchanges between teenagers from China and the Central Asian countries.

"It's great to have the opportunity to learn from foreign football teams on the pitch in my hometown. I hope that through such competitions, I can learn more skills. I look forward to more opportunities for exchanges like this in the future so that more foreign friends can experience our hometown through football," said Yusup Mametsal, a Chinese participant.

"At first, we did not expect such a good start. It's a well-organized and high-level tournament held in a serious manner. I think there are still powerful rivals, and we are ready to face them off," said Akpar Ushur, a participant from Tajikistan.

"As for the organization of the tournament, we really like everything here. The opening of the tournament was great, and everything was well organized. I hope that all such tournaments can always maintain a high level, with excellent teams taking part," said Alexey Evstafeev, head coach of Uzbekistan's national youth football team.

Inner Mongolia section of Yellow River enters stable ice period after 48 days

The Bayannur section of the Yellow River in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region became fully frozen as of 07:00 Sunday, officially entering its stable winter ice period.

Freezing of the river commenced on December 4, 2025, but repeated thawing and refreezing driven by temperature fluctuations and higher water flow postponed a full, stable freeze-over. The entire process lasted 48 days, 29 days longer than the previous year, making it the longest freezing period for this section in recent years.

In response to the extended and volatile freezing process, local authorities in Bayannur City and districts along the river have intensified their ice-jam prevention efforts. Officials have been conducting thorough inspections to identify and manage any potential obstacles within the river channel that could contribute to dangerous ice dams.

To ensure safety and stability during the frozen season, a 24-hour monitoring and patrol system has been implemented along the riverbanks to watch for any signs of ice-related hazards.