Hosted by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) and co-organised by the Beijing Olympic City Development Centre and the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities, the Five-Ring Medal Challenge of the 15th Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival was held at the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities in Shunyi District on 8 September. High-ranking officials present at the event were Gao Yunchao, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Olympic City Development Centre, Song Qiang, Deputy Director of the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities, Zhang Hua, Level-II Councillor of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, and Yu Lichao, Director of the Youth Sports Department of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports.

(Gao Yunchao and Song Qiang present awards to the top three teams in the U9 group)

(Zhang Hua and Yu Lichao present awards to the top three teams in the U12 group)

The Five-Ring Medal Challenge was divided into the U12 (10–12 years old) group and U9 (6–9 years old) group and covered five events: athletics (800 metres), skating (slalom), swimming (100 metres), basketball (cone dribbling + passing into the basket + shooting) and football (cone dribbling + shooting). A total of 500 young people from 100 teams signed up for the Five-Ring Medal Challenge. The competition took the form of a team event, and each team consisted of five members, with no gender restrictions. Each team member was required to compete in one of the five events, and the total completion time for all five events would be recorded as the team’s final score.

The competition started with the U12 group at 9 a.m. The first event was the 800-metre sprint. As the starting gun was fired, the young athletes full of energy and enthusiasm all dashed forward, showcasing their youthful confidence and vigour. In the subsequent slalom event, the young participants skilfully crossed  the obstacles on the designated course, demonstrating adept turning and acceleration techniques. Then, the young athletes completed the 100-metre swim, basketball and football events. In the end, Team Tsinghua Sparta, Team Shuke and Team Super Cheetah took the top three spots in the U12 category. The U9 group competition took place immediately following the conclusion of the U12 group. Despite the significant differences in height and age compared to the U12 group, the U9 competitors demonstrated no less fighting spirit, teamwork and determination, fully embodying the ethos of “Participate, Do Exercises, Be Happy” of youth Olympic education activities. Team Leopard Cubs, Team Sitong Bada and Team Happy Youth secured the top three places in the U9 category.

(Children compete in the 800m race)

(A child completes in the slalom)

(Children compete in the swimming event)

(Young players participate in the basketball skills competition)

(Young players participate in the football skills competition)

(Team members activate the device after finishing the game)

(The Five-Ring Medal Challenge)

(Winners show off their five-ring medals)

According to the host, this year’s Five-Ring Medal Challenge featured an optimized event setup based on previous editions, covering five Olympic sports, namely, athletics, swimming, skating, football and basketball. The goal was to let the participants experience the Olympic culture and the charm of Olympic sports, thus increasing their passion for the Olympic Movement and promoting the Olympic spirit. The Five-Ring Medal Challenge was held at the stadium for track and field, gymnasium and swimming pool of the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities, making full use of its existing venues. It is another youth Olympic education event co-organised by the Beijing Olympic City Development Centre and the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities after they signed a strategic cooperation agreement last year. The two sides said that they will further leverage their respective strengths to deepen cooperation and jointly promote the development of youth Olympic education and Paralympic undertakings.

The Five-Ring Medal Challenge was another mass sports event of the 15th Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival following the successful staging of the Little Triathlete and Run Girls women’s race. It is learned that the Teqball World Series Beijing will take place at the south gate plaza of Beijing Olympic Forest Park from 20 to 22 September, which will be an international sporting event of the 15th Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival. By then, more than 120 athletes from 80 teams around the world will together deliver an extraordinary Teqball tournament.