On the afternoon of November 9 at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center, President Xi Jinping met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry and IOC Honorary President for Life Thomas Bach, who were in China for the opening ceremony of the 15th National Games.

President Xi noted that the Olympic spirit is an important part of human civilization, carries people’s aspirations for a better world, and is highly consistent with China’s vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity. China has always been firmly practicing, safeguarding, and promoting the Olympic spirit. In recent years, China and the IOC have supported each other in advancing sport development and got many big and great things done. Earlier this year, we gathered in Harbin for the Asian Winter Games when the city was covered in ice and snow. Today, we meet again in the warm, spring-like city of Guangzhou for the National Games. This speaks to the strong and close partnership between China and the IOC. China stands ready to deepen high-standard cooperation with the IOC and advance the Olympic Movement while developing itself into a sporting power, contribute greater wisdom and strength to global sport governance, and make further contributions to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

President Xi emphasized that the National Games is China’s largest-scale and highest-level multi-sport event. The Games this time is co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is one of China’s most open and economically dynamic regions. The goal is to develop the GBA into a strategic underpinning for China’s new development paradigm, a demonstration area for high-quality development, and a pacesetter of Chinese modernization. He expressed confidence that this year’s National Games will showcase not only new sporting achievements in China’s new era, but also the remarkable progress of Chinese modernization in the Greater Bay Area.

IOC President Coventry and Honorary President for Life Bach expressed delight at being in Guangzhou to witness the tremendous dynamism and accomplishments of Chinese modernization in the Greater Bay Area. They praised China’s active commitment to the Olympic spirit and its significant contribution to the Olympic Movement. The IOC is grateful for China’s long-standing, strong support and looks forward to further strengthening cooperation with China to drive the Olympic Movement and bring the Olympic spirit to a wider global audience in order to enhance solidarity among peoples and promote world peace. They expressed confidence that the upcoming National Games will be a splendid and successful event that catalyzes new advances in China’s sport development.

Wang Yi, Huang Kunming, and Shen Yiqin, among others, were present at the meeting.