Family members, teachers and students at former schools of the members of the Chinese artistic swimming team gathered to watch them compete at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, where they claimed China's first ever gold medal in the team event.
At the Dazhou Sports School in southwest China's Sichuan Province, where swimmers Xiang Binxuan and Xiao Yanning were students, teachers, current students, as well as Xiang's parents and brother, watched the event together.
The team event consists of three parts - team technical, team free and team acrobatic.
The nine-member Chinese team took the lead in the first two routines in the team technical and team free to enjoy a 69.42-point advantage ahead of the second-placed United States.
With a routine called "Light of Life," they scored 283.6934 points in the team acrobatic for a record-high of winning total of 996.1389.
Their performance was greeted with cheers and applause in the room.
"I cry every time I watch her games, because I'm so nervous as soon as I see her. I think the coaches have trained her really well, and she herself is really good. She has realized her dream because of her hard work and dedication," said Wang Ying, Xiang’s mother.
"Xiang Binxuan and Xiao Yanning displayed outstanding skills in this contest. They have been training hard for a long time, so they deserve this result," said Li Guoquan, a swimming coach at the school.
At Shenzhen Sports School in the southern province of Guangdong, where twins Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi were pupils, their parents, enlightenment coach and athletes at the school also gathered to watch the event. They burst into deafening cheers as the girls clinched the gold medal.
"I'm very happy and excited that they have realized their long-cherished dream on this Olympic trip. It has long been their dream to compete at the Olympic Games and stand on the podium together to win glory for our country," said Wang Huiqi, father of the twins.
"I feel happy and proud of them. Hope they win again in the following duet routines," said the twins' enlightenment coach Hu Lianghui.
China earned its first artistic swimming medal - a bronze medal in the team event - at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, and won silver in the team event and bronze in the duet at London 2012. China has won two silver medals in the artistic swimming competitions at the past two Olympic Games.
In the World Championships, China topped the podium for the first time in the free combination event at Budapest 2017.
The artistic swimming duet routines will take place on August 9 and 10.
Family members, teachers and students celebrate Chinese artistic swimming team's gold
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
