2025 World Games: IOC head urges athletes to ‘give it your best, enjoy moment’ at opening
Kirsty Coventry encourages the 4,000 athletes in Chengdu to cherish friendship as Alex Lau, Lydia Sham carry Hong Kong’s flag into arena
This year’s World Games in Chengdu opened in a dazzling display of old and new on Thursday, with innovation blending seamlessly with the city’s history as thousands of athletes were urged to “enjoy the moment” by International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry.
Chinese State Councillor Shen Yiqin officially declared the 12th edition of the multi-sport event – which has brought together 4,000 athletes and delegations from 120 countries and regions – open at the Tianfu International Convention Centre, where Alex Lau Tsz-kwan and Lydia Sham Hiu-yu carried Hong Kong’s flag into the arena.
And on a day when Jose Perurena, president of the International World Games Association, declared the Chinese city to be ready to “run the best Games in our history”, the hosts made some of their own.
On a night where the official theme of “Boundless Sports, Countless Wonders” resulted in a ceremony of fashion, sports and joy, there was the first torch relay at a World Games, being staged in mainland China for the first time.
And while the Games are typically for non-Olympic events, lacrosse and squash will feature at the Los Angeles edition in 2028, and China began their journey to reach the top of the former with a 24-2 loss to Team GB.
For Lau, who claimed the men’s singles title at the 23rd Asian Squash Individual Championships in Malaysia in June, becoming just the third Hong Kong athlete to win a gold in the event, becoming an Olympian was a goal for another week.