A natural host: Athletes and visitors hail Chengdu's 'park city' vibe

The recently concluded World Games held in Chengdu, highlighted the host city's commitment to green development and urban sustainability, with events seamlessly integrated into its lush park landscapes.

Embracing an eco-friendly and cost-effective approach, the Games utilized 15 outdoor venues, many of which were temporary installations in parks or natural settings, such as grasslands, beaches and open waterways.

The opening ceremony set the tone by offering spectators a unique lawn-seating experience along the waterfront, where urban sports demonstrations — from breakdancing to BMX cycling — unfolded against Chengdu's glittering skyline.

"As the first World Games on the Chinese mainland, the event itself is a sports celebration close to everyday life, belonging to the people," said Huang Peiling, deputy director of the Games' opening and closing ceremonies. "By breaking down barriers between performers and the audience, we aimed to promote harmony between humanity and nature, immersing the event in Chengdu's park city ethos."

The disc golf events, held at Guixi Ecological Park in the Chengdu high-tech zone brought together 32 athletes from 16 countries. The 18-hole course was designed around the park's natural terrain, with players navigating trees and water hazards to land the disc in the basket with the fewest throws. Spectators enjoyed flexible viewing options, from grandstand seating to free movement along the course.

United States disc golfer Marissa Gannon, who won the mixed doubles gold with her playing partner Gannon Buhr, praised the park venue: "It's so beautiful. It's a nice, green park in the middle of these huge buildings and this city. And then you have the New Century Global Center right there, which just looks so monumental in the background. I really enjoyed this venue."

Zhang Xiangjun, a local resident living nearby, came to watch the disc golf competition, admitting it was his first time watching the sport.

"The setup lets us follow the players around the course and observe every detail of the game," he explained. "It's absolutely fascinating!"

Located within Xinglong Lake Wetland Park, the Xinglong Lake Hubin Arena served as the competition venue for four World Games events: marathon canoeing, dragon boat racing, duathlon and parkour.

The competition layout featured a specially designed parkour course alongside the scenic lake, allowing athletes to demonstrate their urban athletic skills against Chengdu's natural backdrop.

Austrian parkour athlete Tobias Kahofer shared his enthusiasm about the venue.

"It's such a cool vibe to see the whole skyline, the city and the lake together. The weather's great — maybe a little too warm at times — but, if you stay in the shade and keep cool, it's completely doable. With this combination of weather, views and crowd energy, the experience is just amazing," he said.

The Games' fistball tournament took place in Tianfu Park. Cecilia Jaques, striker and captain of Brazil's gold-winning fistball women's team, highlighted Chengdu's successful efforts in creating standardized, weather-resistant fistball facilities.

"In fistball, every venue has different field conditions. In Brazil, for example, we have hot weather and very hard fields — the ball bounces a lot. In Europe, they have soft ground with higher grass, so the ball bounces very little," she explained. "But here, I think the field is excellent, because it's neither too hard, nor too soft.

"It endured heavy rain too — which can often cause damage. The field here withstood it very well."

At the Sancha Lake International Aquatics Center, which hosted the waterskiing and wakeboarding events during the World Games, the natural islands formed perfect windbreaks, creating calm competition waters within the enclosed area.

"The venue is pretty awesome — the lake is flat. I landed a trick that I haven't landed for two years," said New Zealand wakeboarder Morgan Haakma.

Commenting on the facilities, she added: "It's really hot, which kind of catches you off guard a little bit, but yeah, the facilities are amazing. We have a tent with air conditioning, and everybody's just so awesome."