Nearly 400 athletes, coaches and officials from China and Russia arrived in Irkutsk to take part in 12 sports, from volleyball and basketball to wrestling, swimming and judo. The Chinese delegation was welcomed with bread and salt and symbols of the Russian Chinese Games, and the opening ceremony will be held on July 12 at the Trud sports palace.
Almost 400 athletes, coaches, and officials from China and Russia arrived in total.These are teams in volleyball, basketball, futsal, table tennis, water polo, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, wushu, as well as swimmers, gymnasts, archers, and judokas — 12 sports in all.
- 152 participants and about 50 coaches arrived on domestic flights, - the airport press service said. - Two flights arrived from China: in the morning of July 11, 10 swimmers arrived, and in the afternoon, 146 athletes and 13 officials.
The delegation from China was welcomed with bread and salt. On the apron, the plane was greeted by a girl in Russian folk dress and entertainers in bear costumes — the main symbols of the Russian-Chinese Games. At the foot of the stairs, the guests were treated to a karavai.
As a reminder, the ceremonial opening will take place on July 12 in Irkutsk near the Trud sports palace