The 12th World Games, slated for August in the Chinese city of Chengdu, will make history with its inaugural torch relay, an event never before seen in the competition's storied past.
Beginning on July 26, the relay will wind its way through three cities in southwest China's Sichuan Province: Chengdu, Deyang, and Meishan. This ceremonial first not only signals a new chapter for the World Games, but also showcases a bespoke torch relay system making its debut in Chengdu.
The carefully-crafted ensemble includes a torch base, fire-sampling sticks, flame basin, fire gatherer, flame lamp, and unique torch packaging, all intricately infused with relics from the Baodun, Sanxingdui, and Jinsha periods. Together, the artifacts weave a vivid tapestry of the Chengdu Plain's profound historical and cultural heritage.
The flame basin, in particular, pays homage to the torch's fire outlet symbolism, adorned on its sides with emblematic motifs – Baodun wheat, the eye-shaped pattern from Sanxingdui, and the Jinsha Sunbird. The three symbols serve as temporal markers, tracing the continuous lineage of the ancient Shu civilization.
Even the fire-sampling sticks bear a remarkable detail: a fingerprint dating back 4,500 years, recovered from pottery shards at the Baodun site, lending a tangible human touch to a millennia-old legacy.
Scheduled from August 7-17, the 12th World Games will feature 255 events spanning 60 disciplines across 34 sports. Notably, this will be the first major international sporting spectacle to grace west China since the 2023 Chengdu World University Games, underscoring the capital of Sichuan Province's growing prominence on the global athletic stage.
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