Chengdu fully prepared for World Games

Preparations for the 12th World Games have been fully completed, with the host city Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, ready to present the world with a spectacular celebration of sports, the Executive Committee said at a press conference on Thursday morning.

The 2025 Chengdu World Games will begin on Thursday night by staging its opening ceremony not in a conventional stadium, but in an expansive urban space of the "Eaves of Tianfu", featuring a massive eaves gallery, a large lake and lakeside greenery.

All the 27 competition venues had been put into operation by July this year, with sports equipment, facilities, and information systems fully installed and tested, according to the press conference.

All functional departments have conducted comprehensive, full-scale rehearsals centered on athletes' needs, covering visa processing, accreditation, transportation, accommodation, catering, medical services, security and anti-doping measures, said Xu Xingguo, executive vice-president and secretary-general of the Chengdu games, at the press conference.

Running from Aug 7 to 17, the Chengdu World Games will feature 34 sports, 60 disciplines, and 256 events with a record-breaking 6,679 participants from 116 countries and regions, including accompanying officials and 3,942 athletes.

More than 8,600 volunteers have been recruited for the Games, supported by more than 500 urban service stations to assist athletes and visitors.

Chengdu fully prepared for World Games

Influenza activity in China has declined for four consecutive weeks, with recent tests showing common pathogens and no evidence of new infectious diseases, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday.

At its first press briefing of 2026, the commission reported that flu activity nationwide remains moderate at the moment.

According to Xin Li, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, respiratory samples collected from sentinel hospitals indicated that the influenza virus was the most common pathogen, accounting for 27.4 percent of cases, followed by respiratory syncytial virus at 8.8 percent and rhinovirus at 5.7 percent.

"Influenza activity in China has declined for four consecutive weeks and remains at a moderate level overall. Analysis of nationwide fever clinic consultations, influenza-like illness cases at sentinel hospitals, and multi-pathogen testing shows that all detected pathogens are known common ones, with no evidence of unknown pathogens or new infectious diseases," Xin told the press.

Data from sentinel hospitals indicated flu activity was falling across provincial-level regions, while reports of school outbreaks dropped for five consecutive weeks. Laboratory tests showed that 97.3 percent of positive influenza samples were H3N2 subtype viruses.

China flu activity declines for fourth week, no new pathogens detected: official