The 41st Golden Mountain Bay Area Chinese Sports Games held its second preparatory meeting on the evening of July 9th at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center. Chaired by the chairman of the Chinese Sports Games, Chen Ligong, the meeting was attended by the director of the Overseas Chinese Education Center, Zhuang Yashu, deputy director Cai Jiahua, and attracted as many as 49 members of the Chinese Sports Games committee to prepare for the upcoming opening ceremony and subsequent events.
The meeting focused on introducing the latest venue layout for the opening ceremony to be held on July 27th at Fremont High School, and provided specific instructions on the venue setup work for July 26th. Chairman Chen Ligong, the secretary-general, and the treasurer also briefed the attendees on the progress of various events and related administrative matters.
Chairman Chen Ligong expressed gratitude for the hard work of all the conveners and volunteers, noting that over half of the sports events of this edition of the Games have been completed successfully. He emphasized the importance of unity and cooperation in completing the most crucial task of the opening ceremony as they are in the final stretch.
Director Zhuang Yashu of the Overseas Chinese Education Center delivered a speech, stating that the Chinese Sports Games is an annual grand event in the North California overseas Chinese community and one of the largest Chinese sports festivals in the global overseas Chinese community. She highlighted that this edition of the Games covers nearly thirty activities throughout the year, with enthusiastic participation from various overseas Chinese associations, showcasing the cohesion and vitality of the overseas Chinese community. This year, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission will specially dispatch the chief secretary to attend the opening ceremony and arrange for 12 outstanding youth representatives from the “Taiwan Youth Overseas Fellowship Program” to participate in the flag-raising ceremony, aiming to let the youth experience firsthand the spirit of dedication and unity in the overseas Chinese community.
During the meeting, Director Zhuang introduced the newly appointed deputy director of the Overseas Chinese Education Center, Cai Jiahua. Deputy Director Cai, who has served in the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission for many years, participated in the Chinese Sports Games for the first time and was deeply moved by the enthusiasm and energy of the overseas Chinese community. She expressed her admiration for the diverse talents of everyone involved, despite not being proficient in sports, and expressed her anticipation to engage with the youth participants in the upcoming activities to learn from them.
The atmosphere at the event that evening was lively, with conveners of various competitions actively sharing anecdotes and practical difficulties encountered during the preparation and competition period, and raising requests for support. In particular, the host of the Chinese Sports Games, Li Na, highlighted a past incident where FASCA students suffered sunburn blisters due to prolonged exposure to the sun, which sparked immediate attention. Chairman Chen Ligong promptly announced improvements to enhance event safety and participant experience, expressing hope for a more perfect Chinese Sports Games with the collective efforts of all involved, injecting more radiance and cohesion into the overseas Chinese community.