China to host inaugural youth games for football, basketball and volleyball

BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- China will host the inaugural youth games for football, basketball, and volleyball, aiming to groom talent for the future development of these sports in China.

The event, scheduled to take place in Hunan Province from late November to early December this year, is jointly hosted by the country's General Administration of Sport and the Ministry of Education. The games will feature events for both men and women.

The games, which will be attended by athletes under the age of 18, are planned to be held annually in the future.

"For a long time, an important reason affecting the development of football, basketball, and volleyball in China is that the number of youth games is insufficient, the competition level is not high, and the training and selection system is not established," a top official with the General Administration of Sport said on Tuesday.

"We hope that the new youth games for these sports can improve the system, and on the other hand, our young athletes can have more opportunities to participate in high-quality events," the official added.

The official also revealed that the results of the events in the youth games will be included in the overall results of the Chinese 15th National Games. It is hoped that through the youth games, provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities will be able to select talent and establish high-level teams for athletes aged 15-18.