Universiade a Resounding Success on all Fronts

Some 6,800 student athletes from 169 countries swept into Beijing in late August for the 21st Universiade, or World University Games, marking the first time the city had hosted a global sporting event. No less than 2,400 sports journalists from 140 media organizations in 37 countries covered the event, which proved to be the biggest in Universiade history.

The Universiade was a resounding success, though not wholly on the competitive side. These Games are, in their way, a kind of mini-Olympics in their ability to help young athletes and their accompanying officials overcome language and cultural barriers and develop friendship and understanding between diverse ethnic groups.

In Beijing, for example, Nigerians and Grecians shared tours of Imperial palaces and tombs. Malaysians and Chileans went shopping together along Wangfujing. Germans and Canadians chatted over beers in the bars of Sanlitun. Parties and celebrations in the Asian Games Village lasted until the early hours of the morning, though only among athletes who had completed their competitions.

Through it all, Chinese leaders, Universiade and Olympics officials, foreign diplomats, and officials from the host country of the next Universiade, had plenty to talk about-sport and friendship in particular.

On one thing they were all agreed: the Beijing Universiade's opening and closing ceremonies and entertainments were arguably the most spectacular ever seen at this event.