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Shenzhen begins handover mission for Universiade 2011

By Li Sheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-07 09:44

As the official countdown to the Universiade 2011 is about to commence, a 140-strong delegation is set to make the 11,162 km journey from the next host city, Shenzhen, to Belgrade, the setting for the 2009 event.

The delegation's arrival will coincide with the July 12 closing ceremony of the international festival of student sports. As part of the ceremony, Wang Rong, acting mayor of Shenzhen, will officially accept the handover of the Universiade flag from George E. Killian, president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU).

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao meets FISU President George E. Killian, one of the leading figures behind the international Universiade, during his factfinding visit to Beijing in December 2006. [China Daily]

Announcing the dispatch of the delegation, Liang Daoxing, vice-president of the executive board and director-general of the executive office of the organizing committee for the Universiade Shenzhen 2011, said: "This handover marks the beginning of the Universiade's 'China Time'."

"Shenzhen has made enormous preparations, both for this handover and for the international varsity games themselves. We are currently redoubling our efforts to ensure that the Universiade Shenzhen 2011 is the most successful and spectacular international student sporting event ever staged."

Following the handover of the flag, members of the Shenzhen delegation will stage a 20-minute cultural performance. This will include an exhibition of traditional Chinese dancing, entitled "Oriental Charm", as well as a children's choir from the city performing a selection of Chinese folk songs and "Niska Banja", a traditional folk song popular in Belgrade. The display will culminate with "Start Here" a specially composed and choreographed song and dance routine illustrating many of the themes of the 2011 Universiade.

Preparations in progress

According to Liang, preparatory work for the games is now well advanced. The city began to ready itself for the event back in July 2007 when the organizing committee of the Shenzhen Universiade appointed its executive board and established its subordinate executive office.

Liang said: "Shenzhen is in an excellent position to meet all of its deadlines and achieve all of its targets. We have every confidence it will be a huge success. All of our plans are now running to a strict timetable and are either well underway or have been completed well ahead of time."

"Our state of readiness is a testament to the hard work of the government at the central, provincial and municipal levels, as well as to the support of local residents. It also underlines the abiding economic strength of the city."

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Liang particularly commended the city's work in developing the corporate identity for the 2011 games. He said its distinctive "Happy U" symbol, its "Start Here" slogan and its "UU" mascot - a smiley face incorporating the Unversiade logo - have already become synonymous with the event.

He reserved particular praise for the smiling mascot that, he said, embodied "the open, friendly and tolerant spirit of the Universiade, as well as Shenzhen's own spiritual values of openness, tolerance, youth and fashion".

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