Chinese athletes shatter 8 world records at 15th National Games: organizers

China

Chinese athletes shatter 8 world records at 15th National Games: organizers

2025-11-21 15:40 Last Updated At：21:57

China's 15th National Games will officially conclude on Friday evening, with eight world records and five world youth records shattered during the competition, according to event organizers.

At a press conference held Friday morning in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, organizers provided a comprehensive overview of the Games' successful execution, highlighting the high level of competition, organizational excellence, and the remarkable performances that captivated the nation.

Additionally, the National Games set 13 Asian records, 10 Asian youth records, 14 national records, and seven national youth records across disciplines, including athletics, swimming, shooting, weightlifting, track cycling, and sport climbing.

Notably, athletes in 12 events at the Games delivered performances that surpassed the winning marks set at the Paris Olympics, underscoring the growing global competitiveness of Chinese sport, organizers said.

For the first time, youth divisions were introduced across multiple sports, providing a vital platform for identifying and nurturing the next generation of talent.

The Games also set new benchmarks for public engagement. The mass participation segment featured 166 events across 23 sports, with over 1.1 million people taking part in the "I Want to Compete at the National Games" initiative nationwide.

More than 11,000 amateur athletes competed in the finals, embodying the spirit of inclusive, grassroots sport, according to the organizers.

The organizers noted that advanced technologies were seamlessly woven into the Games. AI-powered command centers, intelligent lighting systems, and "light-tracking" running tracks enhanced both athlete performance and spectator experience.

Co-hosted for the first time by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, the 15th National Games served as a powerful catalyst for regional integration, accelerating the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to the organizers.

Gulf countries consider new pipelines to avoid Strait of Hormuz: Financial Times

Impact of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is pushing Gulf countries to revisit costly plans for pipelines to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, so that they can continue to export oil and gas, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

"Officials and industry executives say new pipelines may be the only way to reduce Gulf countries' enduring vulnerability to disruption in the strait, even though such projects would be expensive, politically complex and take years to complete," said the report.

"Previous plans for pipelines across the region have repeatedly stalled, undone by high costs and complexity," it said.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital global energy corridor bordered by Iran to the north.

Around a fifth of global liquefied natural gas supply passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which also carries about one quarter of global seaborne oil trade.

Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities on Feb. 28, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes against Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, while tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz by restricting passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.