World Leisure Games open in Qingdao

Young Indian women participate in the world hip-hop open tournament, one of the competitions at the Qingdao 2015 World Leisure Games, which opened on Saturday. More than 8,770 professional and 7,300 amateur athletes from 92 countries and regions are taking part in the 10-day event. [Photo by Hu Qing]

The 2nd World Leisure Games commenced in Laixi, a county-level city in Qingdao on Saturday with more than 8,770 professional and 7,300 amateur athletes from 92 countries and regions taking part.

Themed "In Leisure, In Nature", the Games include nine international contests for rock climbing, freestyle roller skating, street dance, e-sports, marathon running, dragon boat racing, martial arts, international chess and beach volleyball, as well as eight domestic contests including Gouji (a type of poker game), aerobics, swimming, equestrianism, cycling, fishing, beach soccer and Chinese chess.

The World Leisure Summit, World Leisure Expo and Leisure Culture and Arts Festival are also being held during the 10-day event.

The World Leisure Games, which take place every five years, are organized by the World Leisure Organization, which was established more than 50 years ago. The organization advocates the practice of leisure sports around the world and believes that leisure is vital to enhancing human life.

The first World Leisure Games were held in Chuncheon, South Korea, from Aug 28 to Sept 5, 2010, and involved 15,000 participants from more than 50 countries.