On July 17, a press conference was held for the China Merchants Bank 2019 Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival. The festival will be held on September 21. With the theme of “Sports Organizations Shine along the Huangpu River amid Celebration of 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC”, the event will be a sports carnival held against the backdrop of the city’s river landscape to showcase the achievements in popular sports on this special occasion.

The sports festival is co-hosted by Shanghai Sports General Association and Shanghai Shendi Group Co. Ltd, co-organized by the general sports associations of the respective districts located along the riverside and the Shanghai Mountaineering Outdoor Sports Association. More than 30 sports organizations and sporting event management companies will participate.

The main activity of the event will be a walking race along both riverbanks of the Huangpu River, traversing such districts as Pudong New Area, Huangpu, Xuhui, Hongkou and Yangpu. A sub venue will be set up at the Shanghai International Tourism and Resorts Zone. There will also be dozens of places for other sports activities characteristic of various districts and organizations. The event will inject new vitality into Shanghai’s goal of becoming a “globally well-known sports city”.

At the press conference, a sponsorship agreement signing ceremony was also held between the Shanghai Sports General Association and China Merchants Bank. At the same time, the Shanghai Sports General Association signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai Shendi Group Co. Ltd.

Traverse Huangpu Riverside to create an atmosphere of urban sports

Ten years after its first edition, the 2019 Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival has moved its “central arena” to areas along the Huangpu riverbank. Combining the forces of Pudong, Puxi, and the Huangpu riverside, the festival aims to host a sports carnival dedicated to the unique culture of the regions. According to festival officials, the main event of this year’s sports festival, the Huangpu riverside walking race, will be neither ranked nor timed. This encourages the competitors to exercise leisurely and enjoy the breathtaking views along the Huangpu riverbank, while also letting them experience the other sports activities along the racetrack. In addition, the event medals, apparel, and presentations on the track will all emphasize elements of the Shanghai Huangpu riverside, allowing participants to garner a sense of home in the big city.

As thousands of competitors and the beautiful view of Huangpu riverside coastline merge into one, not only will the experience of participants be elevated, but the city can also receive a vivacious boost to its scenery. Utilizing the geographic advantage of the Huangpu riverside and the landmark effect of cities, the Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival successfully combines city sports and urban culture, allowing this year’s “aesthetic” competition to go viral from its announcement.

Internationalization through the cooperation of Yangtze River Delta

Shanghai is an embracive sports metropolis that has a history of hosting many of the world’s top sports events. This festival, with its long-term goal to internationalize and popularize itself, expresses traits similar to the global city when concerning popular sports participation. This year, the Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival has merged elements of global sports with its competitors, sports events, and event presentation.

At the same time, the Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival will utilize the geographic advantage of the city to attract sports enthusiasts from nearby provinces and invite sports communities and organizations to participate. It will also use this opportunity to develop regional sports, organize national fitness resources in the Yangtze River Delta, as well as strengthen and navigate new forms of national cooperation.

With the commencement of the sports festival, the preparation for sign-up is already in progress. According to competition officials, this year’s festival Huangpu riverside walking race will include races of 20km, 10km, and 3km and encompass around 7000 participants. Information concerning the competition will be posted through the official WeChat account of the Shanghai Sports General Association. The registration process will begin in early August on the “China Merchants Bank” app as well as the “Jing Bao Ming” app.