The 12th edition of the World Games will leave a lasting impact not only on the host city of Chengdu in southwest China, but on the future of the Games and the next generation to take part in them, according to International World Games Association (IWGA) President Jose Perurena and other officials.
The Chengdu World Games, which will conclude on Sunday evening with a vibrant closing ceremony, have seen outstanding achievements. As of Saturday, 233 gold medals have been awarded, with athletes from 81 countries and regions stepping onto the podium, and a total of 18 world records have been broken.
The thrilling competitions have ignited spectators' enthusiasm, with over 220,000 tickets sold. Events such as gymnastics, Muay Thai, and wushu saw tickets selling out quickly.
Two sports that originated in China, wushu and dragon boat racing, made their debut at the games as official sports after being held as invitationals at previous editions. At the press conference, Perurena confirmed plans to retain the sports in future World Games.
"The popularity of dragon boat and wushu, I'm sure, is guaranteed to continue officially in the program. At the same time, we remain open to new additions to the program," he said, adding that new additions will be left up to the international federation.
Perurena also drew attention to cheerleading -- another discipline introduced at this Games -- as a sport that represents a growing passion for athleticism among young people today.
"I put one example, the sport for new generation (of cheerleading athletes) who are sitting with us. Wushu (as) traditional, cheerleading (as a) new sport for the new generation," he said.
Also at the press event, Xu Xingguo, executive vice-president and secretary-general of the Chengdu World Games' executive committee, said that the host city will further solidify its position as a globally recognized hub for premier sporting events.
"Aligned with this goal, we recognize that the preparations for the World Games have significantly accelerated Chengdu's development as a premier sports city. Through this event, we have strengthened collaboration with international sports organizations. On August 11th, the IWGA Project Research and Promotion Center was officially established in Chengdu. Post-Games, seven temporary venues will be retained for public fitness programs, while the (procured) equipment will be allocated to athlete development and community sports initiatives," he said.
As athlete representatives from the United States cheerleading team, Allison Hoeft and Sydney Marti, gold medalists in the Cheerleading Pom Doubles Final, shared their experiences competing in Chengdu.
"It's definitely been an amazing experience, and I don't think any other competition we've ever been to could top this experience. The heartwarming of the people, the welcoming environment, all the volunteers that were able to help us throughout the event, it was truly a surreal experience. I know one moment that definitely sticks out for our whole group that was something so special was when we first walked into the arena, the facility was absolutely beautiful. The amount of people in that arena was insane, and walking in feeling all the support from the people of Chengdu was a very inspiring experience," Hoeft said.
"And then outside of the competition, we have also had the opportunity to go out and do some sightseeing. So, our first day here, we went to go see the giant pandas, which was a really amazing experience. And then we also got to go on a night tour of the city. So, we got to go on a riverboat cruise, and we got to have a hot pot, and then we got to go see a traditional Chinese show with the changing mask. And it was really cool because that was a big surprise that we didn't expect. And I think one part of our routine that we think really special is when we add our surprises, so that's really special to us," said Marti.
Chinese sports that debuted at Chengdu World Games to carry on in future editions: IWGA president
