Breathtaking Opening Ceremony
On August 22nd, at eight o’clock sharp the guards of honor of the Opening Ceremony appeared in the Workers Stadium. Heading them were eight students who carried the Universiade flag. They were followed by the ‘Campus Angels’ dressed in white. They released nearly 10,000 pigeons, a symbol of peace. The Angels were followed by a group of child drummers. Then the delegations of all participating countries entered the stadium under the loud cheering of the spectators and marched along the track to the centerfield of the football pitch. It took more than an hour and a half for all delegations to enter! A protocol guide headed each delegation. These protocol guides were dressed in the traditional clothing of China’s 56 ethnic minorities. The guides were selected from more than 4,000 female students from 300 universities. The protocol guides carried signs with the names of the participating countries in both English and Chinese. Each sign featured a bird that is representative of the country. To ensure that no mistakes where made in the selection of the birds, various renowned Chinese ornithologists were consulted.
As Chinese President Jiang Zemin ascended the rostrum to declare open the 21st Universiade, a long-standing ovation rocked the 60,000-seat stadium. After China’s President Jiang Zemin and FISU President George E. Killian officially opened the Universiade, the FISU flag was brought into the stadium and raised while the FISU anthem, the ‘Gaudeamus Igitur’ was played.