East China city to host nearly 100 sports events in 2023

NANJING, China, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- The city of Wuxi in east China's Jiangsu Province is expected to host nearly 100 sports events in 2023, according to the municipal department of sports.

The events will cover sports like basketball, table tennis, swimming, marathon, taekwondo, weightlifting and fencing.

Eight international events, including the Wuxi Marathon and World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series, and 30 national events will be staged in the city.

The annual Wuxi Marathon was postponed last year due to the epidemic resurgence. It attracted 27,000 participants from around the world in 2021, generating 93.7 million yuan (13.8 million U.S. dollars) in business revenue, said the sports department.

The city will also organize various sports competitions for teenagers, such as the Jiangsu Junior Weightlifting Championship, fencing competitions, and swimming championships, the department added.

Wuxi started construction of an Olympic sports center on Thursday. With a total investment of 6.9 billion yuan, the project is expected to have a 60,000-seat stadium, an 18,000-seat gymnasium, a 2,000-seat swimming center and a fitness center.