On June 18, the first preparatory meeting for Huaihua’s 7th Traditional Sports Games for Ethnic Minorities was held. Vice Mayor Yu Jianyong attended the meeting and outlined the work plan. 

Hosted by the municipal government of Huaihua and organized by the Municipal Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau and the Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio, Television, and Sports, the Games are scheduled for August 17–20. The event features 11 major categories and 68 sub-events—including swings, crossbow shooting, cujiu (a type of football), stilt walking, plank-shoe racing, top spinning, yajia (tug-of-war with a neck strap), shuttlecock kicking, ethnic fitness exercises, exhibition events, and stationary performances during the opening ceremony. With approximately 1,500 participants, 7th Traditional Sports Games for Ethnic Minorities marks the first major ethnic sports event held by the city since it was designated a National Demonstration Area for Ethnic Unity and Progress. 

The meeting called on municipal and county authorities to solidify responsibilities and establish dedicated task forces to advance venue construction and athlete registration to high standards. Counties and districts must secure event funding; scientifically organize athlete training, medical check-ups, and safety management; explore local intangible cultural heritage elements and refine distinctive opening ceremony performances. Relevant departments are required to coordinate support services—including security, transportation, medical care, volunteer services, and publicity—while establishing a bi-weekly scheduling and reporting mechanism and maintaining detailed task lists. The event aims to strengthen the sense of community for the Chinese nation and showcase the unity and positive spirit of people from all ethnic groups. By means of task lists, accountability systems, and time-bound completion requirements, the city strives to deliver a streamlined, safe, pragmatic, and spectacular ethnic sports event, thereby boosting its development as a regional central city at the junction of five provinces. 

(Translated by Le Guobin)