STORY: Chengdu Universiade fosters friendship among global youth
DATELINE: Aug. 9, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:18
LOCATION: CHENGDU, China
CATEGORY: SPORTS
 
SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): GREGOR ALIC, Slovenian badminton player
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish) OZGE YILMAZ, Turkish table tennis player
3. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANYA HELENA MOSTEK, U.S. swimmer
4. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): SONG JUN DOMINIC, Singaporean table tennis player
5. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): HAKON EIK LITLAND, Norwegian athletics athlete
6. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): GIORGI GELASHVILI, Georgian swimmer
7. SOUNDBITE 7 (English): SOPHIA GRACE VERZYL, U.S. diver
8. SOUNDBITE 8 (English): LUKE ALAN FORESTER, U.S. diver
9. SOUNDBITE 9 (English): VIKTOR KISS, Hungarian shooter
10. SOUNDBITE 10 (English): LINDA PALUMBO, Italian athletics athlete
11. SOUNDBITE 11 (English): ANYA HELENA MOSTEK, U.S. swimmer
12. SOUNDBITE 12 (English): KATRINE FJERBAEK OLSEN, Danish athletics athlete
13. SOUNDBITE 13 (English): JOSE JAVIER CASTRO MORENO, Spanish Wushu athlete
14. SOUNDBITE 14 (English): ANATHI PEACEFUL SHOZI, South African diver
 
STORYLINE:
The 31st FISU World University Games concluded on Tuesday in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province.
 
The Chengdu Universiade stands out as it was the first international multi-sport event held in China after the pandemic and also provided a stage for a total of around 6,500 student-athletes from 113 countries and regions to excel, exchange goodwill and establish friendships.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): GREGOR ALIC, Slovenian badminton player
"The atmosphere here, all the athletes from different sports. I love it here. It's one of the greatest events I've ever been to."
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish) OZGE YILMAZ, Turkish table tennis player
"Every time we met athletes from different countries and regions, we exchanged pins and talked to each other. We also exchanged T-shirts. We took their T-shirts and gave them Türkiye's T-shirts in return. It's a beautiful fusion."
 
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANYA HELENA MOSTEK, U.S. swimmer
"Everyone here is super welcoming, and the environment in this village is super awesome."
 
SOUNDBITE 4 (English): SONG JUN DOMINIC, Singaporean table tennis player
"We have a lot of people from different countries (and regions) coming together, and we always interact with each other and it's very, very lively. Everyone is very friendly and we are having a very good time here."
 
SOUNDBITE 5 (English): HAKON EIK LITLAND, Norwegian athletics athlete
"There's cool technology. You can make a 3D character of yourself if you (celebrate) the birthday. My friend did it, and it was really cool. The shuttle with the buses, and the whole thing was very, very precise and very neatly organized."
 
SOUNDBITE 6 (English): GIORGI GELASHVILI, Georgian swimmer
"(Volunteers) are cheerful, happy, and excited to see us. The mood changes when you see those kinds of people."
 
SOUNDBITE 7 (English): SOPHIA GRACE VERZYL, U.S. diver
"The energy is crazy. So many fans. Having a big crowd here is really awesome."
 
SOUNDBITE 8 (English): LUKE ALAN FORESTER, U.S. diver
"It's a lot of different experiences than what we get back in the U.S. It's a lot of fun."
 
SOUNDBITE 9 (English): VIKTOR KISS, Hungarian shooter
"The city is beautiful because it's very up-to-date to modern standards. Seeing a lot of green both on the bridges, both on the sidewalks, on the streets."
 
SOUNDBITE 10 (English): LINDA PALUMBO, Italian athletics athlete
"(The city) has a lot of technologies, and yes, the food is good."
 
SOUNDBITE 11 (English): ANYA HELENA MOSTEK, U.S. swimmer
"I think I definitely want to try some hotpots, some spicy hotpots, because I've heard Chengdu has really good hotpots."
 
SOUNDBITE 12 (English): KATRINE FJERBAEK OLSEN, Danish athletics athlete
"(Chengdu is) very famous for the pandas. We actually have some from Denmark, in Copenhagen. We have a zoo that has two pandas. And those are from Chengdu. Obviously, all the traditional Chinese cultural things, like embroidery and paper cutting."
 
SOUNDBITE 13 (English): JOSE JAVIER CASTRO MORENO, Spanish Wushu athlete
"It's the perfect place to come."
 
SOUNDBITE 14 (English): ANATHI PEACEFUL SHOZI, South African diver
"Chengdu really does make dreams come true."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Chengdu, China.
(XHTV)