Games to bring lifestyle change

Experienced event host hopes contest will leave lasting, positive impact, Xie Chuanjiao reports.

The World Leisure Games 2015 is due to be held from Sept 12 to 21 in Laixi, a county-level city of Qingdao, under the theme of "In Leisure, In Nature".

Construction and decoration of the main stadium for the event is expected to be complete by the end of June, according to Liu Mingjun, vice-mayor of Qingdao and executive deputy director-general of the executive committee for the World Leisure Games 2015.

"As a renowned coastal resort and tourism destination, Qingdao has tremendous resources for leisure sports," said Liu. "Laixi, a county-level city of Qingdao, has already gained successful experience in organizing leisure sports events, including mountaineering, fishing, water skiing, cycling and parasailing in recent years."

The World Leisure Organization founded the World Leisure Games and appointed Qingdao as the host city for the games in October 2012.

"Qingdao is more than competent to host the World Leisure Games, as it successfully hosted the 2008 Olympic Sailing Regatta," said former WLO chairman Derek Casey during a business trip to Qingdao in 2013.

The games will have 17 events, including nine international contests for rock climbing, freestyle roller skating, street dance, e-sports, dragon boat racing, martial arts, chess and beach volleyball, as well as nine domestic contests including Gouji - a type of poker game - aerobics and swimming.

It is estimated that more than 8,000 athletes will join the games, with 800 participants expected from overseas.

The event will also include a World Leisure Summit, World Leisure Expo and Leisure Culture and Arts Festival.

Laixi city claims to be the "backyard of Qingdao" and it boasts green hills, calm waters, clean air and a variety of cultural heritages such as the Yangge folk dance and clay sculpture.

The city is also home to Laixi Lake, Jiaodong Peninsula's largest freshwater lake and the area's largest inland wetland, Jiangshan.

Beach volleyball, aerobics and swimming events will be held in downtown Qingdao, with the rest of the competitions hosted in Laixi.

Wide participation

Unlike the Olympic Games, where there is a distinction between the audience and athletes, the leisure games see both professional sportsmen and ordinary people take part.

Laixi Mayor Ji Jiadong said the county welcomes people from across the globe to the games, which are free for spectators to watch.

The city has been upgrading its infrastructure for the 2015 games.

By the end of June, the World Leisure Games Park will open to the public. The park covers 52.5 hectares and costs 60 million yuan ($9.7 million).

The park consists of two parts for competition and entertainment. The competition area will be used to hold beach rugby, cycling races and roller skating contests.

Ji said preparation for the games was integrated with the urbanization of Qingdao and the overall development of Laixi. The post-event use of the sports facilities was seen as a high priority during the planning process. All facilities will be used for sports education and public fitness after the games, he said.

"With the progress in economic development, tourism has been given increased attention from the public and the leisure games will have a positive impact on people's lifestyles, helping them balance their work and life with leisure," Ji said.

The World Leisure Organization was established more than 50 years ago and operates as a worldwide, nongovernmental voluntary organization, which believes that leisure is vital to enhancing human life.

The first World Leisure Games were held in Chuncheon, South Korea, from Aug 28 to Sep 5, 2010, and involved 15,000 participants from more than 50 countries.

Contact the writer at xiechuanjiao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/04/2015 page12)