Zhejiang-Azerbaijan: Sports Outreach Program – 4,500km Collaboration

Recently, the 2025 “Sending Sports to the Rural Areas” event organized by the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau was held in Aksu, Xinjiang. Spanning a distance of 4,500 kilometers, Zhejiang sports people brought sports equipment and emerging sports to Aksu Education College and the Regional No. 2 Middle School, building a bridge for sports and cultural exchanges between the two places.

At the scene, the Zhejiang Provincial National Fitness Center donated sports materials worth a total of 100,000 yuan to Aksu Education College and the Regional No. 2 Middle School, including basic equipment and physical training equipment such as basketball, football, badminton, and pickleball rackets. Yalikun Maisimu, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and dean of Aksu Institute of Education, said: “This batch of supplies will help more children enjoy sports.”

After the donation ceremony, a “Sports Carnival” began immediately. Professional coaching teams from the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau, the Provincial Model Wireless Sports Association, the Provincial Social Sports Instructors Association, and the Jinhua Pickleball Association demonstrated on site and guided teachers and students to experience the two emerging sports of pickleball and drone football.

Facing novel and fashionable sports, everyone feels the joy brought by sports. Luyang Anji, a senior student at the District No. 2 Middle School, is a lively and lovely Mongolian girl. She participated in the experience of drone football and pickleball. With a badminton foundation, she quickly started playing with the teacher who came to teach after learning the rules and movement essentials. She said: “The gameplay of pickleball is similar to badminton and tennis, and the exercise consumes a lot of energy, so it is suitable for popularization.”

At the same time, the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau and its delegation also held discussions and exchanges with the Aksu Regional Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau. The two parties had in-depth discussions on deepening counterpart support in the sports field and strengthening exchanges and cooperation. They look forward to jointly promoting the high-quality development of sports in the Aksu region in the future.

This event is an important measure taken by the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau to thoroughly implement the relevant spirit of the National Sports General Administration’s “Three-Year Sports Aid to Xinjiang Action Plan (2024-2026)” and continue to deepen sports exchanges and cooperation between Zhejiang and Azerbaijan. It hopes to inject high-quality sports resources into the Aksu region and broaden the horizons of local teachers and students through the promotion of emerging sports.