Finals of China's national virtual sports tournament held in Beijing

The finals of this year's national virtual sports tournament were held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday.

Featuring virtual cycling, virtual rowing, virtual racing, and simulated soccer competitions, the event aimed to stimulate sports consumption and explore new scenarios, according to its organizers.

"Apart from traditional sports events, there is a vast array of technology-driven future sports events, which aim to explore how virtual sports can drive consumption in cultural, commercial, sports, and tourism industries, and to forge new consumption scenarios. We have events on future sports that integrate online and offline experiences such as next-generation venues. Using competitions to boost the development of industries, we want to see if some new sports scenarios will emerge," said Yang Liu, a member of the event's organizing committee.

The 2025 edition officially commenced on Oct 24, spanning 33 days with an integrated online-offline format to select finalists nationwide.

The virtual cycling event attracted more than 800 professional athletes, with more than 2,000 participants taking part in experiential sessions.

The virtual racing competition brought together more than 400 elite drivers, while the simulated soccer tournament featured 33 professional players from 11 clubs competing for championship titles.

Finals of China's national virtual sports tournament held in Beijing

At the invitation of Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Losang Jamcan on Saturday attended Guelleh's inauguration in Djibouti City, the capital of Djibouti.

Guelleh met with Losang Jamcan, also vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, at the People's Palace on the same day. 　　 Losang Jamcan conveyed Xi's warm congratulations and best wishes to Guelleh, noting that under the strategic guidance of both leaders, the China-Djibouti comprehensive strategic partnership has continued to deepen in recent years.

China is willing to work with Djibouti to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, carry forward traditional friendship, expand practical cooperation, and promote the further development of China-Djibouti relations, Losang Jamcan said.

For his part, Guelleh asked Losang Jamcan to convey his sincere greetings to Xi, and thanked Xi for sending a special envoy to his inauguration ceremony.

China has always been a trustworthy partner of Djibouti, Guelleh said, adding that Djibouti is willing to further strengthen solidarity and cooperation with China, enhance friendly exchanges in various fields, maintain close coordination in international affairs, and promote the bilateral relations to a new level.

Xi's special envoy attends Djiboutian president's inauguration