In response to the recent report alleging Shenzhen municipality allocated 300 billion yuan to finance the Universiaide ($ 47 billion) and would have to face its first financial deficit, an official with Shenzhen municipality's finance committee said "the report is misleading and against the principle of holding a 'frugal Universiade'. All the detailed expenditures associated with the Universiade will be verified and released to the public after the completion."

He said "it is inaccurate to count the infrastructure and people’s livelihood investment within many years into the total spending of the Universiade. The key is to differentiate three kinds of different financing, namely, one-year investment versus multiple-years investment; financial investment versus business investment; infrastructure investment versus the sports competition investment."

"In fact, for a modern city like Shenzhen with such a large economic size, dense population and enormous traffic pressure, the subway construction and the upgrading of the city’s infrastructure are of great importance and urgency even without the Universiade. The hosting of the event just acted as a catalyst to facilitate those constructions, which is significant not only to a successful holding of the Universiade but to enhancing Shenzhen’s international image and influence," he said.

He also went on to refute any financial deficit rumors. "It is a groundless assumption. Shenzhen has broken even with certain surplus for 17 years since 1994," he said.