Five young people from five continents light the Universiade flame at Qinghua University in Beijing yesterday.Wang Xiaoke

 

Li Hao

FIVE young people from five continents ignited the Shenzhen Universiade flame through a concave lens yesterday at Qinghua University in Beijing.

The group lighting was different from the common practice of international sports events, which usually had only one person light the flame.

The five young people included a college girl from Shenzhen and four foreign students studying at Qinghua.

The flame would be kept in a special lantern and carried back to Shenzhen on a chartered flight under tight security, according to Yuan Chengyong, vice director of the cultural activities department of the executive office of the Games organizing committee.

Each wearing a floral garland of bougainvillea, Shenzhen’s city flower, 20 young girls performed a dance before the flame was lit.

“As the second-largest comprehensive sports event after the Olympics, the Universiade has made a great contribution to the exchange of college students from around the world,” said Yuan Guiren, minister of education.

Yuan said Shenzhen would present a “unique Universiade” to the world.

The torch relay is scheduled to start at Beijing University on May 4, Chinese Youth Day and the 100-day countdown to the Games. The relay will involve 54 torchbearers.

From Beijing, the relay will continue to Shenzhen University on May 10 and then be carried by mainly college students.

After the relay at Shenzhen University, the torch will be passed on at Guangzhou University Town on May 15.

On Aug. 10 and 11, two days before the opening of the Universiade, the relay will continue in Shenzhen, covering the downtown area and Longgang District, home to the Universiade Center and Athletes Village.