National Games Fitness Qigong Regional Tournament held in Guiyang

On Oct 23, the third station of the 15th National Games Fitness Qigong Western Regional Tournament was held in Qingzhen, Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.

A total of 24 teams and 196 participants from Guizhou, Xinjiang, and other provinces and autonomous regions competed.

Qigong was developed in China thousands of years ago as part of traditional Chinese medicine. It involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind, and spirit, with the goal of improving and maintaining health and well-being.

Fitness Qigong, a popular health-enhancing practice, has been included among the National Games mass events for three consecutive editions since the 13th National Games.

For the first time in the event's history, the 15th National Games featured East, West, South, and North regional zones for the Fitness Qigong competition, making it the only mass event with regional divisions. The event features five-animal boxing, eight trigrams boxing, and six other competition items.

At the opening ceremony, 100 primary school students performed a collective demonstration of Fitness Qigong's eight trigrams boxing, impressing the audience with their synchronized movements and fluid rhythm. Their performance was an example of a successful promotion of Fitness Qigong at schools.

Dong Jun, director of the General Administration of Sport of China's Fitness Qigong Management Center, commented, "By holding events, we aim to further promote Fitness Qigong, inspire enthusiasm among people in West China, and promote the integration of fitness and health. This serves as a model to boost the development of mass fitness in the western region."