Chongqing - On the evening of May 22nd, the 9th China-Russia Youth Games, hosted by the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chongqing Municipal People's Government, opened in Southwest China's Chongqing. Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin attended the opening ceremony and declared the Games' opening, while Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin participated and delivered a speech.

The year 2022 to 2023 has been designated as the China-Russia Year of Sports Exchange, jointly initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. 

This Youth Games is the most significant highlight of the China-Russia Year of Sports Exchange in 2023. Four hundred forty representatives from China and Russia came to Chongqing to participate in the Games, competing in eight major and 62 minor events. 

The games also featured various cultural exchanges to enhance sports cooperation between the two countries, promote youth exchanges, and foster people-to-people friendship.

During her visit to Chongqing, Chen Yiqin conducted field research at schools such as Xiejia Wan School and Datianwan National Fitness Center to understand the situation of sports education and the development of fitness activities. 

Chen Yiqin called for more efforts to enhance the quality of youth sports and improve youth's physical and mental well-being, emphasizing the need to promote nationwide fitness activities and increase facilities to further encourage the Fitness for All campaign.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Gao Zhidan, Director of China's General Administration of Sport, expressed his hope that athletes from China and Russia would exchange skills and learn from each other on the field, engage in friendly interactions, and deepen friendship off the field. 

He encouraged the athletes to continue to develop the sports industry and maintain the long-lasting friendship between the two countries. The successful hosting of the Games will inject new vitality into the strategic partnership between China and Russia in the new era and contribute to building the China-Russia friendship across generations.