Traditional ethnic games wrap up in Sanya

The 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities came to a close in the resort city of Sanya, Hainan province, on Saturday, wrapping up the latest iteration of the event and spreading the joy of the traditional ethnic sports that can be found all around China.

The closing ceremony of the games was held at the Sanya Sports Center, with organizers conducting the handover ceremony to the delegates representing the next host, Hunan province.

Gao Zhidan, director of China's General Administration of Sport, said at the closing ceremony that athletes from 35 delegations competed on the same stage, demonstrating not only their strength and skill but also a profound emotional and spiritual connection.

"The games allowed us to share the fruitful achievements of ethnic unity and progress, as well as the advancement of national fitness," he added.

A total of 6,960 athletes competed during the nine days of the games, which featured 18 traditional sports and three demonstration sports. The 13th games will take place in Hunan in 2027.

As the sports — which are rooted in traditional customs and the daily lives of people from certain ethnic groups — have gained popularity nationwide over the years, the competition has become fierce, veteran ethnic sports athletes and coaches said.

Kaharman Dawut, head coach of the wrestling team from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said even winning the Uygur wrestling event was tough for the team, even though the sport originated from the region.

"I won first place in the Uygur-style wrestling category easily at the third and fourth games when I was an athlete. Now, we've seen many hard-to-beat athletes from other provinces and regions as more and more people take part in Uygur wrestling around China," Kaharman said.

"But it's a good thing, because it means the event has been further promoted, especially among young people," the coach said. "Meanwhile, our athletes performed well in the Tibetan-style wrestling category. I think that's the charm of the games."

During competitions, firecracker ball player Tan Weiwei from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region paid special attention to one of his teammates — his son, 21-year-old Tan Zhenyu.

Tan Weiwei, 46, has been playing firecracker ball — which is also called "Chinese-style rugby" because of its resemblances to this Western sport — since the seventh games held in 2003. His son has shown great interest in the sport, which has a history dating back 500 years. In 2021, the sport was named a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Tan Weiwei said the sport is traditionally popular in southern China, but teams from northern China are getting stronger as its popularity grows. Team Guangxi lost to Team Beijing in the intense final at this games. For many of the spectators, it was likely the first time they'd seen the sport live.

"By putting on our best performances and jointly lifting the competitive level of firecracker ball, we can make more young people interested in it and take part in it just like my son. Maybe one day there will be international firecracker ball events, just like rugby," Tan Weiwei said.

cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn