Chengdu games hailed as the new benchmark

The 12th World Games is poised to become "one of the best in history", Jose Perurena, president of the International World Games Association, said on Monday as the sporting extravaganza in Chengdu, Sichuan province, reached its halfway mark.

Perurena made the remark at a news conference while praising the expertise and professionalism of the Chinese hosts, noting that their excellent work has created an electric atmosphere. "In every competition we have seen, the atmosphere in the venues has set a new benchmark in the history of the World Games," he said. "We want to express our sincere gratitude, because our expectations have been met."

The games are seeing high and sustained attendance rates, which, combined with the brilliant performances from top athletes, is a fantastic spectacle, Perurena said.

Lauding the world-class venues, highly efficient transportation network and the excellent quality of catering and operations at the games village, he said, "I have heard this feedback from many athletes."

The 11-day multisport gathering, which runs through Sunday, has attracted a record 3,942 athletes from 116 countries and regions to participate in 256 events in 60 disciplines across 34 sports.

Chen Zhi, deputy director of the games executive committee's department of sports competition and anti-doping, said that 126 gold, 124 silver and 126 bronze medals had been awarded as of 1 pm on Monday.

The Chinese sports delegation led the medal tally with 12 golds, 3 silvers and 1 bronze, he said, adding that two of the gold medals were won in para-events. Since the opening of the games last week, 10 records, including two in para-events, have been broken, Chen said.

Also on Monday, the IWGA and Chengdu Sport University signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize a strategic partnership focused on sports research, athlete development, sports medicine, world-class event organization and cultural exchanges, in order to uphold the legacy of The World Games.

The IWGA Sports Research and Promotion Center, a landmark initiative aimed at advancing non-Olympic sports, was unveiled soon after the signing ceremony. IWGA President Perurena and its CEO Joachim Gossow were appointed honorary professors of the university.

pengchao@chinadaily.com.cn