14th National Games

Introduction

The long-awaited 14th National Games of China will soon be upon us, and Shaanxi is making the final preparations for its first ever chance to host this prestigious event. Even though the games officially start on the 15th of September, some events will be beginning their initial runs before that, so we have translated the official list of events and where they will be held so that you can be ready to watch your favorite events.

There are expected to be around 20,000 athletes, 5,500 technical officials, and 5,750 professional volunteers, meaning that this will be one of the largest scale events ever held in the province. 42 venues across the province have been prepared to host the various events, including the new Xi’an Olympic Sports Stadium in the Chanba Ecological District, which will be accessible by Line 14 of the metro.

As a long anticipated event, the preparations across the city have been numerous, with many new infrastructure and rejuvenation projects being completed over the past year. Expect large numbers of tourists to come to the city during the games and foot traffic at many of the cities tourist spots to increase as well. As there are expected to be many VIPs at the opening ceremonies, expect there to be increased security around the event, so allow yourself extra time if you are attending the event.

Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, extra precautions will be in place for all of the events. Masks will be required at all the venues, and those attending will need to have completed their vaccination 2 weeks prior to the events and have a nucleic-acid test 48 hours prior to attending. The events will also be aired on television

The Mascots

You may have noticed the mascots of the games popping up everywhere around the city, and they will continue to feature prominently throughout the games. These four animals are meant to represent the four most endangered animals of the Qinling Mountains – Zhuzhu the Crested Ibis, Xiongxiong the Giant Panda, Jinjin the Golden Monkey, and Lingling the Takin. The colors of their shirts are meant to represent different characteristics – yellow for wealth; blue for chasing dreams; red for Shaanxi’s revolutionary tradition; and green for the representation of ‘ecological civilization’.

Ticketing

Tickets can be purchased through 14th National Games official WeChat account (第十四届全国运动会官方特许商品). After following the account, you can click through to the ticket purchasing mini-app. Alternatively, you can purchase tickets through their website https://tickets.2021shaanxi.com. Once the tickets are purchased, you will need to bring your digital ticket, a valid photo ID, and proof of vaccination (一码通) and valid nucleic-acid test.