On the morning of June 25, the highly anticipated preliminaries of the shuttlecock event of the 15th Sports Conference of the People’s Republic of China officially kicked off at the Linhai Stadium in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province. The event is hosted by the Group Department of the General Administration of Sports of China, the Social Sports Guidance Center of the General Administration of Sports of China, and the China Shuttlecock Association, hosted by the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau and the Taizhou Municipal People’s Government, and co-organized by the Taizhou Sports Development Center and the Linhai Municipal People’s Government. As the qualifiers for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area National Games, this competition attracted shuttlecock masters from all over the country to gather in Linhai. They will compete fiercely in the next competition to show the unique charm of shuttlecock.
Shuttlecock has a history of more than 2,000 years. It originated in the Han Dynasty and was popular in the Tang and Song Dynasties. It was originally circulated in the folk game form of “The Legacy of Cuju”. Later, it continued to evolve and developed into a competitive project that integrates badminton venues, volleyball rules, and football techniques, emphasizing physical coordination and team cooperation, both competitive and ornamental. In the long-term development, shuttlecock has formed different schools such as flat-pin shuttlecock and flower shuttlecock. It is not only active in community squares and campus playgrounds, but also shows strong vitality in large-scale sports events.
In 2021, shuttlecock became a mass competition event for the first time, achieving a leap from folk entertainment to the national competitive stage, marking this movement that integrates skills, collaboration and aesthetics, and ushers in an important milestone in the development process. As the most standard and influential comprehensive sports event in China, the National Games will provide a broader display platform for shuttlecocks and accelerate its professionalization process. The shuttlecock preliminaries of this National Games include three-person matches, mixed double matches, 4×30-second mixed team relay counting matches and other events. These competitions fully consider participants of different ages and genders, providing a broad display platform for shuttlecock enthusiasts.
It is surrounded by mountains, seas, forests, streams, islands and other unique natural resources. It is known as the “city of mountains and seas”. It is also a “naturally wild” sports city, with a thousand-year-old ancient city heritage and modern sports passion. In recent years, based on the outdoor industry foundation and mountain and water resources, Linhai has created a series of international event brands such as the Chaigutangs Cross Country Race, Anjishan Paragliding, and Youxi Extreme Triathlon. Through the two-wheel drive of “event activation and tourism promotion”, it has formed an outdoor sports development pattern of “spring, summer, autumn and winter” and “sea, water, land and air” throughout the space. It is committed to promoting the deep integration of sports, culture and tourism, and strives to achieve the goal of “holding one event, developing one real estate industry, and enriching the people”. The preliminaries of this shuttlecock event were launched in Linhai, adding dynamic rhythm to the city.
Wang Xiaoxiao, deputy mayor of Linhai Municipal People’s Government, delivered a welcome speech at the opening ceremony, saying that Linhai, as a city full of historical charm and modern vitality, will do its best to provide solid guarantees and enthusiastic services for this shuttlecock preliminaries. She hopes that through this event, she can further promote the spirit of national fitness and promote the inheritance and development of sports culture.
For shuttlecock sports, the National Games are not only a competitive stage, but also an opportunity for inheritance and innovation. Looking ahead, the shuttlecock project will add new impetus to the construction of a national fitness and sports power. From the streets and alleys to the National Games, every leap of shuttlecock carries the fusion of tradition and modernity. This movement, which spans thousands of years, is embracing the new era with high spirits and writing its own brilliant chapter on the stage of the National Games!
