Shenzhen Games 'biggest' in Universiade history

Updated: 2011-08-12 13:31

(Xinhua)

Shenzhen Games 'biggest' in Universiade history

SHENZHEN, China - The upcoming Shenzhen World University Games would become the "biggest" ever in the 52 years of Universiade history, organizers said on Thursday.

"With just one day to go, I can say Shenzhen Universiade would be the biggest in history," said Huang Guoqiang, a spokesman of the Shenzhen Universiade.

Shenzhen Games 'biggest' in Universiade history
Huang said a total of 306 events from 24 sports would be held, making the largest number of events in Universiade history. Some 11,901 athletes and officials from 152 delegations had confirmed their arrival until Thursday.

According to the Universiade organizing committee, China, Russia and Japan are the three leading delegations in the number of athletes. Also some countries including France and the next Olympics host Britain had formed their largest delegation in their Universiade history.

"It will be London's turn to be the host of the Olympics less than a year later. The team's participation in the Universiade will further strengthen the already-excellent ties between Britain and Shenzhen," said Alastair Morgan, the Consul-General of the British Consulate-General at Guangzhou.

Huang said a "great number" of correspondents from both home and abroad would cover the upcoming Universiade. According to the latest data from the organizing committee, a total of 3,156 journalists from 331 media organizations around the world had registered to cover the Games.

 

About Shenzhen

Shenzhen is located at the southern tip of the Chinese mainland on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Pearl River and neighbors Hong Kong.

The brainchild of Deng Xiaoping, the country's first special economic zone was established here by the Chinese Government in 1980. It has been a touchstone for China's reform and opening-up policy since then.