STORY: Int'l sports officials hail well-organized, friendly Chengdu Universiade
DATELINE: Aug. 5, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:15
LOCATION: CHENGDU, China
CATEGORY: SPORTS
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Chengdu Universiade
2. various of international athletes in Chengdu
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): LEONZ EDER, FISU Acting President
4. various of the Athletes' Village
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): JOSE PERURENA, President of the International World Games Association (IWGA)
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JOACHIM GOSSOW, CEO of the International World Games Association (IWGA)
 
STORYLINE:
 
International sports officials have praised China for staging a well-organized and friendly Chengdu Universiade to the world.
 
Leonz Eder, acting president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), has visited China more than 20 times since his first trip in 1985.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): LEONZ EDER, FISU Acting President
"I have been visiting China so many times, and China always hosts our events with great passion, with great success. And that's why we are always more than happy to return to any Chinese city to host our games.
Teams from 113 countries (and regions) come together, using the opportunity after the competition to exchange ideas, to communicate. This is wonderful. This is the magic of the FISU Games."
 
Chengdu, with a history of over 2,300 years, is the third city in the Chinese mainland to host the biennial Summer Universiade, following Beijing in 2001 and Shenzhen in 2011.
 
The Chengdu Universiade also marks the first time a city in western China hosts a major international sporting event.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): JOSE PERURENA, President of the International World Games Association (IWGA)
"Chengdu is ready to welcome any competition, including the Olympic Games.
When those athletes and tourists return to their own countries, they will talk about Chengdu. Because Chengdu is a beautiful city, it has a new international airport, and it is welcoming the world to come."
 
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JOACHIM GOSSOW, CEO of the International World Games Association (IWGA)
"It's a very good impression all over. I think it's a very nice city. It's a very green city. Chengdu is very well-prepared to organize such games and to host all the different participants, either the athletes or the officials or the guests over here. I think all feel very welcome.
I expect that the local culture, the Chinese culture and the international (culture) will provide something very well known with something unknown, and that is the beauty of the Games. This is also the beauty of coming together with different cultures and to share good moments."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Chengdu, China.
(XHTV)