Interview: China to contribute to world sport by hosting Universiade, says Turkish federation chief

ISTANBUL, July 16 (Xinhua) -- China is expected to make further contributions to the development of global sport at the upcoming 31st FISU Summer World University Games, said Mehmet Gunay, president of the Turkish University Sports Federation.

The Summer Universiade will take place in Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan Province between July 28 and August 8, featuring a total of 18 sports.

"We see that China has been quite successful in sports in recent years," Gunay told Xinhua. "Nowadays, especially with the effect of social media, we receive constant notifications from China [about the Games]. We follow them closely and see that they are preparing quite well in this sense."

Gunay specifically praised China for conducting successful studies in both competitive sports and the scientific and technological dimensions of sports.

"We are following [these studies] closely in Turkey," Gunay added. "It would be important for us to cooperate with China, especially to get lessons and support from these successes."

As for the Chengdu Universiade, Gunay said, "Of course, we have prioritized those sports in which we can be successful," adding that Turkey had strong hopes of doing well in taekwondo, fencing, archery and gymnastics.

"Sport is not only a competition but also the interaction of different countries and cultures," he said, emphasizing China's past success in blending different cultures, particularly at last year's Beijing Olympic Winter Games.

"It is very important for us to get to know the culture of China, to see the historical values and cultural values there, as well as the opportunity to turn sporting communication into cultural communication."

Gunay also saluted China's efforts to protect nature and promote green policies, with zero-carbon targets to create awareness on these topics.

"To convey this message to the rest of society, taking advantage of the communication power of sports is crucial," he said.