The first delegation for the first National Youth Games (NYG) arrived in Pingtan, Fujian province, on Wednesday midnight.

The team representing Chengdu, Sichuan province has 22 members, including 18 athletes. They chose to come to Pingtan three days before the Games started.

“We attach a lot of importance to NYG, so we came early to get familiar with the venue and climate,” said Tang Changdong, coach of the Sichuan team.

The NYG will be the largest sports meeting ever in Fujian, with more than 7,300 young athletes from 80 cities competing from Oct 18 to 27. Over 300 events will be held in cities and counties across the province, and Pingtan, an island county in eastern Fujian, will host all the softball games.

Eight teams, all women, will compete in Pingtan. The local authority has arranged 82 volunteers for accommodation and service at the Games.

Li Dejin, chief of the Pingtan Party Working Committee, pledged in an Oct 9 provincial telephone conference that Pingtan will make all-out efforts to ensure a successful NYG.

The softball team from Chengdu, Sichuan province, arrives in Pingtan, Fujian province, on late Wednesday for the first National Youth Games. [Photo/ptnet.cn]