What they say

Eric Saintrond, secretary-general of the International University Sports Federation

The Chengdu Universiade gives university students from all over the world a chance to communicate with the Chinese people and let the world see the real China. There are a lot of cultural activities in the Universiade Village in which athletes can learn about Chinese culture. I can see the efforts the organizers are making.

Welton Juvenal Menezes, badminton player from Brazil

The facilities here are great, and the audiences are very enthusiastic. The pandas are very cute. Chengdu is a beautiful city, and the food here is also great and unique.

Fernanda Gomes Celidonio, swimmer from Brazil

It is my first time in China, and it's a country that I never thought about visiting, and I'm absolutely in love with it. I think my favorite part so far was meeting the pandas and going on that little trip. I think it's amazing how close everyone here makes us feel to this culture, and how much I've learned in the past two weeks.

Cara Patricia Feain-Ryan, winner of the 3,000m steeplechase from Australia

The event was very challenging. A lot of people ended up on the ground after the event. We helped lift each other up after the race. It's great to get to meet people from other countries, even though your competitors are in the event. I think afterwards there's a really big sense of respect for what everyone has achieved.

Erbakan Necmettin Akyuz, wushu athlete from Turkiye who speaks fluent Chinese

My Chinese name is Li Xiaolong like kung fu star Bruce Lee's Chinese name. I have memorized many lines from Bruce Lee's movies. I imitated martial arts movements from those movies at home. I've read some Chinese martial arts books, and learned some Chinese instruments.

(Chinadaily)