Representatives of referees and delegations from 11 cities enter Datong Stadium to attend the opening ceremony of the 16th Games of Shanxi Province, Aug 8. [Photo/Shanxi Daily] 

The opening ceremony of the 16th Games of Shanxi Province illuminated Datong city on the night of Aug 8. 

Representatives of referees and delegations from 11 cities entered Datong Stadium. Athletes, coaches, and referees also swore a solemn oath of good sportsmanship. 

The opening ceremony featured a variety of artistic performances, incorporating multimedia technology and audiovisual effects to showcase Shanxi's rich historical and cultural heritage, as well as its remarkable achievements in socioeconomic development.

A torchbearer lights the torch installation during the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to goshanxi.com.cn] 

At 21:18, the thrilling torch relay and lighting ceremony began. Five torchbearers, including Zhang Yifan, Wang Chun, Sun Xiulan, Guan Shenghua, and Feng Bing, passed on the torch before it was finally ignited by the young Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics champion Su Yiming. 

The provincial games are being hosted by the Shanxi Provincial Government, and are co-organized by the Sport Bureau of Shanxi Province and local authorities in Datong and Shuozhou. 

The games include competitive sports events and mass sports activities. The former consists of 26 major events containing 719 sub-events, while the latter comprises 22 major events and 248 sub-events.

A folk dance featuring Shanxi culture is staged during the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to goshanxi.com.cn] 

Emphasis has been placed on foregrounding the local characteristics of Shanxi and forging deeper integration with cultural tourism, while also promoting the widespread development of various sports. 

The first event of the provincial games – snowboarding – already kicked off on Feb 8 in Datong this year. Boxing, table tennis, swimming, wrestling, badminton, gymnastics, athletics, fencing, and 12 other events are scheduled to take place both before and after the opening ceremony. The closing ceremony will be held in Shuozhou on Aug 18.