Scene of the flag-awarding ceremony, with Wei in attendance and presenting the team flag to the team for troop rallying and encouragement. Photo by Wu Tao/ Huaihua Daily
On the afternoon of July 22, the flag-awarding ceremony for the Huaihua representative team ahead of the 2026 Hunan Super League was held at the Municipal Sports Center. Wei Zhaohui, secretary of the Huaihua Municipal Party Committee, attended the ceremony, presented the team flag to the soon-to-depart Huaihua representative team to rally the troops and offer encouragement.
Wei stated that this campaign is not only a contest of athletic prowess, but also a showcase of Huaihua’s urban spirit. She urged the athletes to compete for Huaihua and strive for glory, embrace every match with high morale and embody the spirit of Huaihua. They should hone their skills and forge glory with passion, strive to deliver their best performance and demonstrate their strength, and dare to charge forward and secure outstanding results. They should bear in mind the principle of friendship first, competition second.They should compose themselves in every game, foster friendship through football, and demonstrate an open, inclusive and magnanimous bearing. The hometown will always stand as their staunchest supporter. She is poised to see the team give full play to their abilities and return home with honors, achieving even better results in the 2026 Hunan Super League.
The Huaihua representative team for the Hunan Super League completed trials and selection in January. A total of 367 football enthusiasts took part in the open trials. Following rigorous selection, 43 players were confirmed for the squad, including 19 middle school students, 9 university students and 15 amateur players from the community.
At present, the team has wrapped up pre-competition training, with all players in good competitive form. According to the competition schedule, Huaihua will play away against Xiangtan at the Xiangtan Municipal Sports Center on July 26.
Municipal leaders Hu Chen and Xiang Rulian attended the flag-awarding ceremony for the team’s departure.
(Translated by Dong Yue)