Photo: Xinhua

 
Chinese State Councillor Shen Yiqin declared the 12th edition of The World Games open on Thursday night at the Tianfu International Convention Center.

This marks the first time the Games, a multi-sport event featuring sports not (or not yet) on the Olympic program - will be hosted on the Chinese mainland.

In another historic first, the Chengdu World Games featured a torch relay on July 26 at the iconic Sanxingdui Museum, the cultural heart of southwest China's Sichuan Province, with 120 torchbearers participating in the milestone moment.