Chinese National Games open in Tianjin 天津全运会正式开幕: 天津人天津味演绎海河情怀
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The 13th Chinese National Games was officially kicked off on Sunday night in Tianjin, with overseas Chinese athletes allowed to participate in the games for the first time.
Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the country's premier multi-sport event open in the eastern metropolis, just 113.3km away from the capital Beijing.
Among those present at the ceremony was President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach, who's on a visit to Beijing to inspecting the preparations for the 2022 Winter Games.
The opening ceremony highlighted the Chinese dream and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
A total of 8,838 athletes will compete in the games during the 13-day event, which involves 33 major competition events and 417 smaller events, Li Yingchuan, vice minister of China's General Administration of Sport, said at a press conference in Tianjin on Sunday.
The games feature 19 public events for the masses, 17 of which had been finished before the opening ceremony.
The medal tally ranking of the provincial teams has been abolished.
Another reform introduced this year is to allow overseas Chinese athletes to compete in the games, in a bid to attract overseas talents.
Chinese who have obtained foreign citizenship, descendants of Chinese immigrants and Chinese citizens who are residing abroad are eligible to apply for the games.
全运会开幕式:天津人天津味演绎海河情怀
8月27日晚，中华人民共和国第十三届运动会开幕式在天津奥林匹克体育中心体育场进行。本次开幕仪式以“逐梦远航”为主题。
随着《歌唱祖国》的旋律悠扬响起，在鲜艳的五星红旗引领下，56个民族的兄弟姐妹率先手持鲜花携手同行，进入场内。随后第十三届全运会裁判员方阵以及各代表队开始入场。开幕式文体展演以《逐梦远航》为主题，共分为《百年呼唤》、《健康中国》、《领航未来》三个篇章，重点突出中华民族伟大复兴中国梦，配合全屏激光投影等科技效果，展现中国特色和天津元素。