Competitive Events Flocked Together in the Sports Center in the First Half of the Year, where Professional and Amateur Events Competed on the “Same Site”

       Nowadays, experiencing the state-level, even the international-level field facilities and standard services provided by the Dalian Sports Center has gradually become a commonplace leisure activity for our citizens, no matter whether it is an amateur five-a-side football match, a tennis match or a basketball match. In the first half year of 2017, the Sports Center hosted or organized 23 competition events and group activities of over 900 sessions, accommodating 230 thousand spectators and participants.

       The first professional event of this year was the WBA Chinese Professional Boxing League held on January 13, which glutted the eyes of quite a lot of boxing fans. Following that, traditional leagues such as the CFA Futsal Super League, China League and the Chinese Women's Super League successively kicked off to overwhelm the football fans with a very busy schedule. The National Youth Football Super League and the Green Project Mayor Cup Tournament ushered teenagers into the green football fields. The Sino-Iranian Men’s International Basketball Challenge, regarded as the highest level basketball match ever hosted by the Sports Center in recent years and the first public appearance of the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team in this year, brought a memorable basketball feast to the basketball fans of Dalian. Equally, or even more flourishing are the amateur events: the five-a-side football matches, the badminton tournament, and the tennis tournament, as well as other amateur events hosted by the Sports Center, have attracted a lot of enterprise or public organizations to participate, thereby establishing a platform for sports fans in the city to compare notes and exchange experiences. Wave-riding teenagers in the Dalian Youth Swimming Competition broke the silence in the Natatorium. And the 2nd Horse Race and the Olympic Day Graffiti T-Shirt Race provided a chance for all citizens, old and young alike, to feel the enthusiasm of the summer. By advance reservation, all amateur events are entitled to make use of the courts and fields that have been used by some international competitive events. Such field experiences will not only allow the citizens to enjoy the fun of sports, but also enhance the enthusiasm of sports fans to participate in them.   

       According to statistics, up to the end of June, the gyms and stadiums of the Sports Center have accommodated over 110 thousand citizens for fitness exercises. Also, nearly 100 thousand spectators have attended various kinds of artistic performances, including the Mayday, Joker Xue, Yoga Lin, the iQIYI “Screaming Night”, and the All Star Vocal Concert.

       In the next half of the year, the Sports Center, apart from undertaking the traditional professional and amateur events, will also introduce some brand new sports events, including the 2017 "Cross Strait" cum Hong Kong Macao International Youth Handball Summer Camp and the National Mass Volleyball Elite League Division Series, both of which will be stationed in the Sports Center for the first time. On schedule, the highly expected Bubble Run will be held at the end of July. Dalian Tennis Open will bring more surprises to the tennis fans in September. And in October, football fans will gather in the stadium to witness the key moment for Dalian Yifang to crack into the China Super League and share the joys of victory.