The torch relay for the 12th edition of The World Games (TWG) began on Saturday in Chengdu, the provincial capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, marking the first-ever torch relay event in the Games' history.
The torch relay will traverse Chengdu and two of its neighboring cities, Deyang and Meishan, covering a total distance of 11 kilometers, involving 120 torchbearers. This year's World Games will officially take place from August 7 to 17.
A flame lighting ceremony was held at the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang on Saturday morning, inaugurating the relay, and the first stop of the torch relay also took place at the museum.
Afterwards, the torch will travel to five locations: Chengdu Jinsha Site Museum, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu Wuhou Shrine Museum, Meishan San Su Shrine Museum, and Chengdu Xinglong Lake Wetland Park.
The World Games are held by the International World Games Association every four years, usually one year after each Olympic Games.
Unlike the Olympics, which emphasize competitiveness, The World Games primarily feature non-Olympic sports, focusing on the diversity of sports competitions while highlighting the fun, participation, and entertainment values of the events. It will feature 34 sports and 60 disciplines in Chengdu this year.
The World Games 2025 Chengdu inaugurates first ever torch relay
The U.S. claim to take control of Greenland is unacceptable and it aims to sow division within its NATO members and its natural allies in Europe to serve its own interests, said a Spanish expert.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Spanish international relations expert Javier Porras Belarra said he could not understand the U.S. position on Greenland and found the related remarks unacceptable.
"From our point of view, these U.S. statements are equivalent to an infringement on European territory, because we must remember that Greenland belongs to Denmark. That means we are facing a conflict, or at least a potential conflict, taking place on European soil, and even more broadly, between NATO member states. So U.S. President Donald Trump's claims regarding Greenland were nearly impossible to justify or accept, and the European Union is viewing this with a certain amount of astonishment, because this kind of claim from the U.S. is inconceivable," he said.
The expert said the U.S. administration has been intensifying divisions within NATO through its policies and rhetoric, while weakening ties with traditional European allies.
According to the expert, the U.S. administration is trying to undermine European unity to advance its own interests.
"The U.S. administration is deepening divisions within NATO and eroding relationships with its traditional allies, namely European countries. This is a classic 'divide and conquer' strategy. They think this will work in their favor and believe a united Europe is not in the U.S. interests, or at least not in the interests of the current administration," he said.
U.S. claim to control Greenland creates division within European allies for its own interests: expert
