The opening ceremony of the first Wang-Zhengting Sports Event took place at the stadium of the university’s Weijin Road Campus on April 24.
As the university’s first comprehensive sports, the event boasts 128 games across 12 sports categories, ranging all the way from classic games like track and field to swimming, football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, tennis, tug-of-war, skipping rope, chess and campus mini-marathon. Over the following week, a total of 4,500 teachers and students, both Chinese and international students will participate in this grand sports event.
This sports meeting has received strong support from companies established by prominent alumni. “The alma mater is our second home and we are glad to help better the university’s physical education,” said Zhang Ruiming, representative of those graduating from TJU in 2002.
Zhang Na, Executive Deputy Dean of the Volleyball Academy of China, also attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. She used to be a team member of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team that claimed the championship at the 2004 Athens Olympics Games. She said that over the past several decades, the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team have developed and ever upheld an unyielding spirit that lies deep within each and every Chinese people. “I learnt that Tianjin University was founded in 1895 at a time of national crisis and has hence taken on the mission to build a strong country by improving its education. I hope you bear the mission in heart and grow into someone with a loving heart for the motherland, an undaunted spirit and a strong figure,” Miss Zhang said at the opening ceremony.
There was also some artistic performance at the ceremony, among which the martial arts "Northern Forces" and majestic dance "Chinese Dragon" were most arresting. Children from TJU kindergarten put on a lovely performance of wreath gymnastics. In addition, the shadowboxing performance by the faculty and staff of TJU were quite magnificent.
The sports game paid tribute to the university’s famous alumnus-- Wang Zhengting. He was the first Chinese member of the International Olympic Committee and a well-known figure in the world of sports in modern China. For his contribution to the development of sports in China, he was deemed as the “Father of Chinese Olympics”.
By Sun Fei
Editor: Eva Yin
