Chengdu is set to make history as it hosts the first-ever torch relay for the 12th World Games this August. Starting on July 26, the torch will blaze a trail through the southwestern cities of Chengdu, Deyang, and Meishan in China’s Sichuan Province.
This groundbreaking event marks a new chapter for the World Games, which has never before featured a torch relay. The relay not only symbolizes the unity and excitement leading up to the Games but also showcases a specially designed torch relay system making its debut in Chengdu.
The torch ensemble is a work of art, comprising a torch base, fire-sampling sticks, flame basin, fire gatherer, flame lamp, and unique torch packaging. Each element is intricately infused with relics from the Baodun, Sanxingdui, and Jinsha periods, weaving a vivid tapestry of the Chengdu Plain’s rich historical and cultural heritage.
The flame basin stands out with its symbolic designs: Baodun wheat, the eye-shaped pattern from Sanxingdui, and the Jinsha Sunbird. These motifs serve as temporal markers, highlighting the continuous lineage of the ancient Shu civilization that has thrived in the region for millennia.
Adding a human touch to the relay, the fire-sampling sticks feature a 4,500-year-old fingerprint recovered from pottery shards at the Baodun site, connecting the present to the distant past.
The 12th World Games, scheduled from August 7 to 17, will feature 255 events across 60 disciplines in 34 sports. As the first major international sporting event in western China since the 2023 Chengdu World University Games, it underscores Sichuan Province’s growing prominence on the global athletic stage.
For sports enthusiasts and cultural aficionados alike, the upcoming torch relay and World Games promise an unforgettable celebration of athleticism, heritage, and unity.
