Sports

Chinese athletes won 106 titles in 22 events in world championships and world cup games in 2005. Eight athletes and two teams set up 15 world records around the year.

August 10-21, 2005 The Ministry of Education sent a delegation to participate in the 23rd World University Games in Turkey. It ranked second in the overall medal tally with a haul of 21 golds, 16 silvers and 12 bronzes.

October 12-23 The 10th National Games was held in Jiangsu Province, consisting of 357 events in 32 sports. A record number of 9,986 athletes from 46 delegations took part in the final competitions. Fifteen athletes bettered six world records, seven athletes equaled six world records, five athletes set five Asian records and one team and 19 athletes set 19 national records.

October 29-November 6 The Fourth East Asian Games was held in Macao. This was the first time that Macao, with an area of 27 square km and a population of 460,000, hosted an international sports meet after China resumed sovereignty over the region in 1999. The Macao East Asian Games Organizing Committee won unanimous praise from the nine participating countries and regions for its excellent arrangement and service.

December 16 A three-member Chinese mountaineering expedition, headed by Wang Yongfeng, reached the South Pole. With this achievement, they had completed the grand slam adventure by scaling the summits of all the seven continents and visiting the two Poles.

The year 2005 marked the 10th anniversary of the issue of China’s Sports Law and the National Fitness Program, which have greatly boosted the development of sports undertakings.

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

On June 26, 2005, Beijing unveiled the slogan for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games--“One World, One Dream.” The mascots for the Games were made public on November 11 and comprise five dolls named “Bei Bei,” “Jing Jing,” “Huan Huan,” “Ying Ying” and “Ni Ni.” Put together, they read “Beijing welcomes you” in Chinese.

Construction of all competition venues for the Beijing Olympic Games made smooth progress in 2005. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29th Olympiad also began to solicit designs for the Olympic torch from around the world.