By Wang Liang, Liu Shuoyang, Chen Chenxi, People’s Daily
Recently, the 2024 International Cycling Union (UCI) Junior Track World Championships and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Beach Volleyball U19 World Championships 2024 were held in Luoyang, central China’s Henan province, and Shangluo, northwest China’s Shaanxi province, respectively.
Both events attracted athletes from dozens of countries and regions. Each day during the competitions, thousands of spectators rushed to the venues to enjoy the thrill of high-level sports up close.
“Chinese spectators are incredibly passionate, and I hope to come back here for more events in the future,” said an 18-year-old cyclist from Colombia.
In recent years, China has successfully hosted a range of international multi-sport and single-sport events, accumulating valuable experience and reaping comprehensive benefits. From event planning and infrastructure to event management, China has left a lasting impression on organizers and athletes from around the world. This success has attracted many officials from international sports organizations to visit China to seek forging stronger partnerships.
Seeing the determined athletes and cheering spectators, Huang Hongzhang, who works for the venue management department of Luoyang’s fitness-for-all center, was quite touched, saying the hard work made by him and his team was worth it.
In the past few months, Huang and his team had been dedicated to upgrading the venue’s facilities to meet the standards set by the UCI.
Track cycling places extremely high demands on venue facilities. The hosting of the 2024 UCI Junior Track World Championships is a testament to the continuous improvement of China’s sports infrastructure and the country’s growing capabilities in event organization.
Hélder Ferreira, track coordinator at UCI, said that the 2026 UCI Track World Championships will be held in Shanghai, and the UCI will keep working to place more high-level cycling events in China.
Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, hosted the 2024 Pentathlon and Laser Run World Championships. Klaus Schormann, president of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, said the events were successful, and watching them in Zhengzhou felt like watching the Olympics.
It took only over 300 days for the event to be hosted from the day when Zhengzhou bid for them. Venue construction was completed in some 20 days, with facilities meeting Olympic standards.
Modern pentathlon includes fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping, and a combined laser run (running and shooting). Many athletes were surprised to find an integrated “five-in-one” venue when arriving in Zhengzhou, a standard previously only seen at the Tokyo Olympics and the Hangzhou Asian Games.
“From the competition venues and broadcasting to hotel accommodations and shuttle services, every detail proved that Zhengzhou has outstanding conditions for hosting events,” Schormann added.
This year, the first two meetings of the 2024 Diamond League took place in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian province and Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province. As the highest-level one-day athletics competition, the Diamond League holds 15 meetings throughout the year, with two of them hosted in China. It showcases the World Athletics’ strong preference for the country.
Furthermore, the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships and the 2027 World Athletics Championships will be held in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province and Beijing, respectively. China will also host the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province and the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong province.
In April this year, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe visited China to attend the 2024 Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen. He said that every event held in China was very well-organized, and expressed his gratitude for China’s willingness to play a key role in the reform and development of global athletics, adding that he feels assured to entrust events to China.
Recently, the FIBA 3×3 U23 Nations League 2024 was held in Tianxiancheng Scenic Area, Xiaogan, central China’s Hubei province, attracting a number of spectators. Apart from playing in the games, participating athletes also explored the scenic area, visited local schools to teach students basketball skills, and had close interactions with the local community.
The Chinese sports industry is embracing new areas of growth with upgraded approaches, improved facilities and diversified models in hosting international sports events, which have effectively boosted the country’s national fitness program, sports-tourism integration and sports consumption.
Taking the opportunity of hosting the FIVB Beach Volleyball U19 World Championships2024, Shangluo has built over 1,000 fitness venues and more than 200 high-standard volleyball courts. Xiamen, leveraging the Diamond League, has tapped into the potential of sports consumption. It has collaborated with nine other cities in Fujian province to launch a sports consumption festival, which was joined by 2,000 businesses. Wang Yuxiong, head of the center for sports industry development research at the Beijing-based Central University of Finance and Economics, said that in recent years, China’s approach to hosting international sporting events has evolved, with the focus having shifted from emphasizing scale and spectacle to prioritizing quality and attention to detail. This shift has led to a more modern and internationally aligned standard for organizing sports events.
The 2024 Diamond League is hosted at the XiamenBailu Stadium, southeast China’s Fujian province, April 20, 2024. (Photo from the WeChatofficial account of the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Sports
Athletes compete during the 2024 International Cycling Union (UCI) Junior Track Cycling World Championships held in Luoyang, Central China’s Henan province, August 21, 2024. (Photo by Li Weichao/People’s Daily Online)
国际大赛为何青睐中国
人民日报记者 王 亮 刘硕阳 陈晨曦
不久前，2024年国际自行车联盟世界青年场地自行车锦标赛和2024国际排联沙滩排球U19（19岁以下）世界锦标赛先后在河南洛阳、陕西商洛举行。两项赛事，均吸引了来自几十个国家和地区的选手参赛。赛事期间，每天有上千名观众走进场馆，近距离感受高水平赛事的魅力。“中国观众非常热情，期待之后还有机会来这里参赛。”18岁的哥伦比亚自行车选手斯蒂芬妮说。
近年来，中国举办了多项国际综合性、单项体育赛事，办赛经验日益丰富，办赛综合效益也逐渐显现。从理念模式、硬件设施到组织运营，中国办赛给来自世界各地的组织者、参赛者留下深刻印象。不少国际体育组织负责人造访中国，期待与中国建立更加深厚的合作关系。
赛场内，运动员全力比拼；看台上，观众热情观赛。一幕幕场景，让河南省洛阳市全民健身中心场馆管理部工作人员黄宏章十分感慨，“付出的努力是值得的。”过去数月，他和团队致力于改造、提升场地硬件设施，使其达到国际自行车联盟的办赛标准。
场地自行车运动对硬件设施的要求极为严苛。能够承办世界级自行车大赛，说明中国体育场馆硬件设施不断改善，办赛水平持续提升。国际自行车联盟赛事协调员爱尔德·费雷拉介绍，2026年世界场地自行车锦标赛将在上海举办，国际自行车联盟也将继续推动更多高水平自行车赛事落户中国。
在郑州，激光跑世锦赛和现代五项世锦赛的成功举行，给国际现代五项联盟主席舒曼留下良好印象，“这是一届非常成功的赛事。在这里观赛，就像在看奥运会。”
激光跑和现代五项世锦赛从申办到举办，仅历时300多天。两项赛事的场馆设施搭建仅用了20余天，且场馆达到奥运标准。现代五项运动包含击剑、游泳、马术和跑射联项。很多运动员来到郑州，很惊讶见到“五合一”场地，之前只有东京奥运会和杭州亚运会达到这种标准。“从比赛场地、赛事转播、酒店住宿到通勤大巴，各种细节足以证明郑州拥有出色的办赛条件。”舒曼说。
今年，2024年世界田联钻石联赛前两站先后在厦门和苏州进行。作为水平最高的田径单日赛，钻石联赛全年15站比赛中有两站在中国举办，足见世界田联对中国的青睐。此外，2025年世界室内田径锦标赛、2027年世界田径锦标赛将分别在南京和北京举行，世界路跑锦标赛、世界接力赛也将分别在扬州和广州举办。
今年4月，世界田联主席塞巴斯蒂安·科专程来到中国，出席世界田联钻石联赛厦门站比赛。“每一场在中国举办的比赛都组织得非常好。”塞巴斯蒂安·科表示，非常感激中国有意愿在世界田径运动的改革和发展中扮演重要角色，“把比赛交给中国举办，我们很放心。”
夜幕降临，湖北孝感天仙城景区广场人头攒动。近日，在这里举办的2024国际篮联三人篮球国家联赛（孝感站）吸引了大量市民观赛，好不热闹。竞技之外，参赛选手还游览了天仙城，并走进校园向青少年传授篮球技巧，与当地群众交流互动。
助力全民健身、推动体旅融合、带动体育消费……如今，随着中国各地举办国际赛事的理念不断升级、条件更加成熟、模式日益多元，中国体育事业迎来新增长点。
商洛以办排球赛为契机建成以公园、广场为重点的运动健身场所1000多个、高标准气排球场地200多块；厦门借助钻石联赛释放体育消费潜力，联动福建9座城市、2000家商户开展体育消费节，推出多种旅游优惠套餐，吸引游客前来观赛…… 中央财经大学体育经济研究中心主任王裕雄表示，近年来，中国举办国际大赛，从注重规模和声势发展到更关注品质和细节，这种理念的转变推动办赛水准更加现代化、国际化
4月20日晚上，2024世界田联钻石联赛厦门站在白鹭体育场举行。 图片来源：厦门体育微信公号
8月21日，河南洛阳，参赛选手在2024年国际自行车联盟世界青年场地自行车锦标赛比赛中。李卫超/人民图片
