The National Youth Athletics Games in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province Photo: VCG

The first National Youth Athletics Games kicked off in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province on Sunday. Domestic under-18 athletes are set to compete in 25 field events and 31 track events during the six-day competition.   

The event is a national-level, top-tier athletics competition tailored for the country's youth. It has attracted 2,380 participants, including young athletes as well as coaches, referees and technical officials, significantly exceeding the initially estimated 1,300.

The opening ceremony was a vibrant affair, lasting around 40 minutes and featuring cultural and athletic performances, athlete processions and oath-taking ceremonies by representatives of athletes, coaches and officials. 

In particular, the Guangdong delegation made a notable appearance, with male triple jumper Chen Jie serving as flag bearer. Guangdong fielded a team of 29 boys and 25 girls.

Among the athletes expected to draw attention are several rising stars. 

Sixteen-year-old Chen Yujie, representing East China's Zhejiang Province, earlier this year claimed the Asian youth record in the women's 100-meter sprint and emerged as China's national senior champion in that event. She will compete in both the 100 meters and 200 meters races. 

She notably clinched gold in the 200 meters at the Asian Athletics Championships in May, and helped secure gold in the 4x100 meters relay with a time of 43.28 seconds.

Another standout is 17-year-old javelin thrower Yan Ziyi, who recently shattered the world under-20 javelin record at the national championships. Yan on Sunday won the girls' javelin throw with 63.52 meters, the first gold medal at the tournament.

Dai Hongyu, silver medalist of the Asian Youth Athletics Championships, will appear in the boys' 100 meters sprint. 

This new youth athletics competition reflects China's strategic effort to broaden grassroots outreach and elevate the competitive landscape of athletics among young people, analysts said.

"The youth games will boost athletics' popularity and accessibility nationwide as different sports bureaus will now strengthen the development of track and field, which is a foundational sport and one that comprises many Olympic disciplines," Zhang Yan, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times. 

Athletics is regarded as a "core discipline" in China because it encompasses the most fundamental forms of human movement.

China has previously produced Olympic gold medalist and world champions across track and field, such as hurdler Liu Xiang, women's shot putter Gong Lijiao, and race walker Liu Hong as well as Asian 100 meters sprinting record holder Su Bingtian. 

But challenges remain in terms of the overall depth of athletes, elite training systems and sustainable talent development, Zhang noted. 

"The establishment of this annual athletics competition is seen as a crucial step in closing those gaps and creating a structured pipeline for future champions," Zhang told the Global Times. 

The games are conceived as an annual fixture, with the dual aims of promoting integration between sports and education, providing a high-calibre competitive platform for youth athletes, galvanizing provinces to strengthen youth development programs and ultimately reinforcing the foundation of athletics for the long-term growth of elite sports in the country.

Another highlight of this inaugural competition is its integration with the overall results of the 15th National Games, which will kick off in November. Team standings for boys and girls in this youth athletics meet will be carried forward into the National Games' aggregate scoring system.