12th Traditional Sports Games of Beijing to open in August

BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The 12th Traditional Sports Games of Beijing will be held in the city's Daxing District from August 8-13, with more than 3,000 athletes and coaches expected to participate.

The Games will feature 16 competitive events, including martial arts routines, silk ball, iron-ring pushing and tug of war, as well as six performance events, such as tai chi sword, fitness qigong, diabolo and flower stick, and dragon and lion dances.

More than 3,000 athletes and coaches from Beijing's 16 districts and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area are expected to form 400 teams for the Games. The oldest athlete is 70 years old, while the youngest is six.

Since its inception in 1985, the event has become the most influential ethnic sports competition in Beijing.

The organizers will invite people from various ethnic groups in Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Xizang, Tianjin and other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities to attend the six-day event.