In pics: opening ceremony of 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals

Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)

The Swaythling Cup is seen on a pedestal during the opening ceremony of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

The Swaythling Cup is escorted into the gym during the opening ceremony of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Liu Guoliang (R), president of the Chinese table tennis association (CTTA), puts the Swaythling Cup on a pedestal during the opening ceremony of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) president Petra Sorling is seen during the opening ceremony of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)