China News Service, Xi'an, September 16 (Reporter Wang Yu) Late at night on the 15th, an autumn rain arrived unexpectedly at the Xi'an Olympic Center in Shaanxi.

　　Just a few hours ago, the National Games, a comprehensive sports event with the largest scale of participation, the largest number of participants, the highest level of competition, and the most widespread social concern in China, opened here in response to a four-year appointment.

On the evening of September 15, the 14th National Games officially kicked off. The opening ceremony was held at the Olympic Sports Center in Xi’an, the ancient capital of the millennium.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Sheng Jiapeng

　　In just a few hours, the "Pomegranate Flower" on the banks of the Bahe River went from silence to hustle and bustle to loud singing, brilliant lights and magnificent beauty. The athletes and the audience gathered together for the grand event.

　　This is the first time that the National Games has come to the central and western regions of China.

The light and shadow of the National Games spanning 62 years, expectation and enthusiasm are intertwined into a sea of ​​joy and passion at this moment. When I am in it, it is hard not to empathize with and cheer for it.

　　In the previous Tokyo Olympics, Chinese athletes ranked second in the gold medal list and the medal list with 38 gold, 32 silver, and 18 bronze, with a total of 88 medals.

The outstanding performance of the Olympic athletes in Tokyo has attracted wide attention from the outside world.

　　There has never been such a close "contact" between the National Games and the Olympic Games.

From the Tokyo Olympics to the Shaanxi National Games, in just two months, China's accumulated accumulation of sports has continuously reached new milestones.

　　Because of this, when Zhu Ting carried the flag of the Henan team into the arena, when Wang Shun vigorously waved the flag of the Zhejiang team in his hand, and when Quan Hongchan appeared in the forefront of the Guangdong team as the flag bearer...

　　The cheers and applause in the Xi'an Olympic Sports Center is to celebrate the triumphs of the heroes, and it is also an ardent expectation for them to achieve success in the future.

　　They are the banner of Chinese sports, and they are bound to become the benchmark for countless younger generations to surpass in the National Games.

Between chasing and being chased, Chinese sports rushes forward, pouring new hopes.

On the evening of September 15, the 14th National Games officially kicked off. The opening ceremony was held at the Olympic Sports Center in Xi’an, the ancient capital of the millennium.

The picture shows Gong Lijiao entering the stadium as the flag bearer of the Hebei Provincial delegation.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu

　　The significance of the National Games lies in this, but not only that.

　　From the "Olympic Training Ground" to the "National Games", today's National Games is not only a stage for competitive sports elites, but also a grand event for national sports.

　　At the opening ceremony, athletes from the Lokomotiv Sports Association, Coal Mine Sports Association, and Vanguard Sports Association stepped into the arena. As an indispensable part of China's sports landscape, they have supported and promoted in their own way over the long years. The development of China's sports industry.

　　Their past, present and future will all be examples of the National Games insisting on opening sports and encouraging all sectors of society to actively participate in the development of sports and competition in competitive sports.

　　"Anyone who has a dream is great." Four years ago, at the Tianjin National Games, the mass event was on the stage of the National Games for the first time. On this basis, the 14th National Games continued to set up 19 major events and 185 minor events. Activities, so that "grass-roots athletes" have the opportunity to compete with professional athletes.

　　Today's National Games, out of the professional arena, into thousands of households, China's competitive sports and mass sports are linked together, forming a joint force, contributing to the building of a sports power.

The picture shows the lighting of the main torch of the 14th National Games.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Sheng Jiapeng

　　At the end of the opening ceremony, performers wearing protective clothing, led by the national flag, entered the venue with the singing of "I Love You China", showing a united nationwide anti-epidemic scene and constructing epidemic protection A solid line of defense.

　　The current National Games is the first major domestic comprehensive sports event held under the normalization of domestic epidemic prevention and control, and it is also the highest-level and highest-level sports event held in my country before the Beijing Winter Olympics.

　　A string of numbers is enough to demonstrate the difficulty of successfully holding the event-during the Fourteenth National Games finals, more than 12,000 athletes, more than 6,000 delegation officials, and more than 4,200 technical officials participated in the competition, and more than 15,000 volunteers participated in the service guarantee work. More than 1,500 journalists participated in the competition report.

　　In less than half a year, we will usher in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and the world's eyes will once again focus on China.

　　For this reason, in a sense, this is China's National Games, and it is also a National Games presented to the world.

　　The requirements of "simple, safe, and exciting" games have not only become the key core of the smooth holding of the National Games, but also echo the development trend of the international Olympic movement.

　　It is also the expectation and determination of various circles in the country for the National Games that make people even more reason to believe that from the Beijing Olympics to the Beijing Winter Olympics, when the Olympic movement once again descends on the land of China, it will be from the peak to a new peak.

　　The new starting point was written from the opening ceremony of the National Games on the evening of the 15th.

　　"When the sweet rain falls, everything is good." Under the night, I was sitting on the bus returning to the media village, and the rain outside the window was pattering and wafting.

　　The pictures of the opening ceremony and the blazing National Games torch flashed back in my mind, and I could understand that this sports event and this gratifying rain belonged to the Chinese people, so it was just at the right time.

(over)