"This Sea Embraces All" — The 7th Hainan Sports Games Open in Qionghai
QIONGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 August 2026 – On the evening of August 16, 2026, the 7th Hainan Sports Games opened at the Qionghai Culture and Sports Center. Feng Fei, Secretary of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, declared the Games open, and Liu Xiaoming, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and Governor of Hainan Province, delivered the opening address. This marks the first comprehensive sporting event held in Hainan since the island-wide special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port of China took effect.
The opening ceremony, themed "This Sea Embraces All," featured a cultural performance structured around the Wanquan River as its narrative thread. Dynamic ground projection technology brought the river "into" the stadium, showcasing Hainan's development trajectory, from its ecological splendor to its ever-expanding openness. The performance comprised chapters including "Wanquan River in Pictures," "Hainan Flowers Facing the Sun," "Passion in Motion," "Hainan Acceleration," and "Under the Same Expanse of Blue," integrating Hainan's revolutionary heritage, mass participation in sports, the Free Trade Port's "Five-Pronged Development" strategy, and the spirit of openness embodied by Boao. Chief Director Wu Wanting said she hoped the imagery of the Wanquan River would convey a sense of "the sea and sky becoming one, and hearts beating as one."
One of the highlights of this year's Provincial Games is extensive public participation. Fourteen community contingents and more than 10,000 residents voluntarily signed up for the pre-opening ceremony group singing activities. More than 700 performers in the warm-up program came from 21 community groups, ranging in age from 6 to 72, truly embodying the spirit of "performed by the people, watched by the people, and enjoyed by the people."
More than 4,200 athletes from 18 delegations across the province are competing in 18 sports comprising 21 disciplines. As home to the permanent home of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) and the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, Qionghai is using the Provincial Games as a showcase for the vitality and openness of a "New Qionghai Powered by the Free Trade Port." The Games will continue until August 26.
