MOSCOW, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The 10th China-Russia Youth Games opened Monday evening in Svetlogorsk, a coastal city in Russia's Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory message to mark the opening of the Games.
"I am pleased to note that since their inception in Tianjin in 2006, this major international project has steadily expanded its unifying, educational, and creative potential, evolving into a vibrant celebration of sport, youth, and cultural and professional exchange," Putin said.
"Hosting the Games fully reflects the traditionally friendly and partner relations between the peoples of Russia and China and serves as an important element of our humanitarian cooperation," he added.
Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said more than 700 athletes, coaches and specialists from Russia and China are participating in this year's Games, which feature 12 sports, including Chinese wushu.
Russia's traditional combat sport sambo is appearing at the Games for the first time as a demonstration event.
Degtyarev said he believed the Games would provide new experiences and memorable moments for participants, while also serving as a new starting point for strengthening bilateral friendship and cooperation.
Zhang Jiasheng, deputy director-general of the General Administration of Sport of China and head of the Chinese delegation, said young people are the future of both nations and inheritors of the long-standing friendship between China and Russia.
He expressed hope that the Games would become a bridge connecting the past and the future, while planting the seeds of friendship among young people from the two countries.
The inaugural China-Russia Summer Youth Games was held in Tianjin in 2006. Since then, the event has been staged in Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Russian cities such as Moscow and Penza.
Hosted across several cities in Kaliningrad, the 10th China-Russia Youth Games runs through May 31. ■
