The torch relay for China's 14th National Games has entered its final stage before the cauldron is lit at the newly built Xi'an Olympic Sports Center tonight. XINHUA

With China's 14th National Games kicking off in Xi'an on Wednesday, host Shaanxi province is ready to deliver on its promise of staging a "streamlined, safe and splendid" showpiece.

Yang Qian, Zhang Yufei, Su Bingtian and Ma Long are going to be the torch bearers at the opening ceremony of the Games, according to a micro blog post by the National Games' organizing committee.

Medals are up for grabs in a total of 595 disciplines across 54 sports at the Games, which are billed as a "mini-Olympics" in the country.

The majority of the action is taking place in 13 cities in Shaanxi, although six events which have special requirements, such as surfing, are being staged in seven other provinces.

Some events were completed before the opening ceremony, but this week the Games will still play host to over 12,000 athletes, 6,000 delegation members, 4,200 technical officials, 15,000 volunteers and 1,500 media workers.

Olympic medalist pair Yang Qian (L)/Yang Haoran win gold in the 10m air rifle mixed team event final at the 14th Chinese National Games on Monday. [Photo/Xinhua]

Olympic stars

The main attractions of the National Games are China's recently returned Tokyo 2020 Olympians. 

Yang Qian, who won China's first gold medal at Tokyo 2020 with her victory in the women's 10-meter air rifle, and Quan Hongchan, the Tokyo Olympics women's 10-meter platform champion, are among the 50 Olympic gold medalists to compete at the Games. 

One of the most competitive sports at the Games is table tennis, as a total of 15 world champions including Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin are going to compete for gold medals.

Another eye-catching competition will be the men's 100-meter track and field event. "Flying Man" Su Bingtian, the first Asian-born sprinter to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m event, is going to compete at the men's 100m at 8:40 pm on Sept 21.

In the women's 10m air pistol final on Tuesday, Shen Yiyao, representing Shanghai province, wins with 241.9 points. [Photo/Xinhua]

A chance for more athletes to display their talent

The National Games offers a good chance for athletes to compete at their best level, especially for those who didn't make the Olympics and those who didn't pocket Olympic medals. 

For some, winning a national title is even harder than winning Olympic gold.

In the women's 10m air pistol final on Tuesday, Shen Yiyao, representing Shanghai province, won with 241.9 points, while her teammate Jiang Ranxin, bronze medalist in the event and mixed team gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, finished second with 239.6 points.

Three Olympic diving champions from Tokyo-Quan Hongchan, Zhang Jiaqi and Chen Yuxi-battled it out for the women's 10-meter platform title on Sunday.

"It's so hard for me to catch up with you two," Quan told Zhang and Chen in front of the TV cameras. "But I'm certainly happy to be able to once again stand on the highest podium."

The three-way tussle instantly grabbed the public's imagination, with "Battle of the Diving Queens" becoming a trending topic on Chinese social media.

Gao Zhidan, center, deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China, introduces the event at a press conference before the opening ceremony of the 14th Chinese National Games in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, Sept 14, 2021. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/chinadaily.com.cn]

More sports for nonprofessional athletes

At the 14th National Games, 185 disciplines across 19 sports are open to the public in a bid to boost the national fitness campaign.

The mass events are divided into competition and performance categories. Competition events include table tennis, badminton, tennis, soccer, basketball, go, chess, bridge and Chinese wrestling, while the performance events are square dancing, radio gymnastics, health qigong and tai chi.