On September 17, Liu Zhongjie, deputy secretary of the CPC Hengyang Municipal Committee and mayor of Hengyang, visited Hengyang’s athletes and coaches who returned with honors from the 15th Hunan Provincial Games. At the basketball gymnasium of Hengyang Municipal Sports Center, Liu spoke with representatives of the delegation, posed for photos with them, and extended congratulations and greetings on behalf of the municipal Party committee and government.

At noon, the delegation’s buses arrived at the sports center, where drums and cheers welcomed the athletes home. Liu shook hands with athletes and coaches one by one, asking about their competition experience and physical condition. The atmosphere was warm and filled with applause.

Liu said Hengyang’s delegation demonstrated unity, determination and an uplifting spirit during the Games, fully embodying the city’s perseverance and never-give-up attitude. He congratulated the delegation on its outstanding achievements, saying that each medal reflected Hengyang’s strong pool of sports talent and promising future. He encouraged athletes and coaches to carry forward the spirit of fighting for every point in their future work and studies, and to contribute to Hengyang’s efforts to build itself into a national key regional city of higher level and greater capacity, as well as a sub-provincial regional center city.

Liu noted that the 12th Global Hunan Entrepreneurs Conference will soon be held in Hengyang, providing an important window to showcase the city’s progress in building itself as a sub-provincial regional center, as well as its achievements in reform, opening-up and high-quality development. He encouraged the athletes and coaches to serve as ambassadors for Hengyang, tell the city’s stories well, and display its vitality.

Hengyang’s delegation ranked second in four categories, including total delegation points, youth group points, adult group points, and youth competition points. It also ranked third in total gold medals, youth gold medals, awarded gold medals, and total athletes transferred to higher-level teams, achieving its best non-host performance at the Provincial Games in nearly 30 years.

Translator: Jing