68 selected for upcoming 47th WorldSkills competition in France

Participants are ready to compete in the upcoming biennial 47th WorldSkills competition in France in September, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has announced.

The Chinese mainland has so far selected 68 competitors and another 68 substitutes for all the 59 events of the game, which is hailed as "skills Olympics".

The events, which will be staged in Lyon, France from Sept 10 to Sept 15, will include aircraft maintenance and hairdressing, the ministry said at a news conference held in Beijing on Tuesday.

The competitors and standbys are selected from 335 candidates nationwide in late March, the ministry said.

The ministry added that it is channeling efforts of grouping the delegation — consisting of competitors, experts, interpreters and other staff members, to make sure that the mainland show great performance on the world skills stage.

Since joined the WorldSkills in 2010, an organization developing skills and inspiring young people to learn skills, China has so far won 57 golds, 32 silvers and 24 bronzes at the previous six WorldSkills competitions, the ministry said.