From May 16th to 19th, on the banks of the Huangpu River, the original site of the Jiangnan Shipyard, a century-old national enterprise, ushered in a brand-new event of the Centennial Olympic Games - the first Olympic Qualification Series.
Although the Olympic Games have been emphasizing the importance of attracting young people in recent years, no other Olympic Movement-affiliated event has made people feel the "youth storm" of the Olympic Games so intensively and truly as this one.
Breakdancing, rock climbing, skateboarding, and BMX freestyle are the four emerging Olympic sports staged in city parks, with venues lined up one after another, and competitions taking place at the same time. The world's best athletes gather for the ultimate showdown for tickets to the Paris Olympics.
Ascending to the sky, entering the earth, taking off, flying......
Passion, passion, speed, limit......
The youthful atmosphere of the Olympics is coming. Younger, more urban, more open, is the slogan of this year's event. The organising committee wanted to create an immersive feeling of how close people are in a passionate Olympic atmosphere. If you walk fast enough, you can even walk through all four venues in under a minute, giving you the feeling of being dizzy and unable to keep up with the pace of the youngsters.
Different from traditional sports, these new sports that have moved from the streets to the Olympics have distinct characteristics. For example, in the skateboarding arena, it is more like a show of youth and a feast of friendship than a cruel competition. The athletes constantly challenged themselves in the competition, made various difficult movements, and cheered and encouraged each other in the interval of the competition, so that there was no shortage of exclamations and applause, laughter and hugs in Huangpu Binjiang City Park.
Spanish skateboarder Danny León said: "We are a big family in the skateboarding community, we are partners with each other, even if we are from different places, we support each other and enjoy skateboarding together on the streets. ”
Outside the stadium, accompanied by dynamic music, people skateboarded, walked, or rode BMX to different venues. Many of the contestants who finished the competition also joined the crowd and took photos together to celebrate.
Lesa Leal, a women's street silver medallist from Brazil, said: "Watching skateboarding, rock climbing, BMX racing at the same time felt a little unreal. Rock climber Swana Bjarnasson also said: "Normally, we only compete in our own events and don't have the opportunity to see other events. ”
Pierre Frater-Badi, Deputy Director of the IOC's Olympic Department, believes that Shanghai has injected outstanding ideas into this festival-type competition, and that the Olympic Qualification Series is much more than just a sporting event, it goes beyond sports itself and becomes a meeting point of sports, culture, music and art, and it represents a joyful way of life. "When you talk to athletes in these sports, they say, 'We're not playing a competition, we're a way of life.'" That's exactly what we want to create. ”
The word way of life is mentioned at the beginning of the Olympic Charter: "Olympism is a philosophy of life that strengthens the physique, will and spirit and develops them in a comprehensive and balanced manner." Olympism seeks to integrate sport with culture and education to create a way of life......
Of course, young people are not the only ones involved in the "lifestyle" created by this new Olympic event. McDonald, a skateboarder who is about to turn 51, is still galloping with a group of "post-00" players. Although he finally missed the round of 16 and ended his journey in Shanghai ahead of schedule, it was already cool for him to stand on the "road to the Olympics".
Youth has no limits, and sports have no boundaries. The Olympic Games are becoming younger and more energetic, and at the same time will continue to open their arms to all those who love sports.