Chinese President Jiang Zemin declared open the first world multi-sports event ever held in China.

A record 6,800 athletes from 168 delegations will vie for 168 gold medals from 12 sports in the 11-day Games which runs through to September 1.

Beijing Mayor Liu Qi, President of the Organizing Committee, promised the best ever Games in Universiade history in his welcome speech.

"The 21st Universiade not only marks the very first international sports meet in the new century, but also the first international sports celebration since Beijing's successful bid for the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games," Liu said.

"Encouraged and excited by this success, the citizens and particularly the youth of Beijing are working very hard to ensure the Beijing Universiade a truly worthy event for all those involved.

"All the people of Beijing join me in our hope that the 2001 Universiade, a magnificent event of friendly competition and brilliant performances, will be the best University Games in history."

George E. Killian, President of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), spoke highly of sports facilities and athletes' village for the Games.

"New venues have been constructed, old venues have been refurbished, an athletes' village is without a doubt one of the finest ever constructed for a worldwide multi-sport event," said the 77-year-old American.

IOC vice president Kevan Gosper of Australia and South Korean Kim Un-Yong, who heads the General Association of International Sports Federations, were among nine visiting IOC members who attended the opening ceremony.

The World University Games has added weight since Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympic Games in a landslide ballot victory on July 13.

The Games had an unimpressive budget of US$340 million but the organizers had access to greater resources than the balance sheets indicated, thanks to support of China's central government, the Beijing municipality and market operations.

The organizers have organized the longest and most expansive torch relay, built the first Games-specific Athletes Village, spent US$120 million mending roads, constructing seven new sports facilities and renovating 45 including the Workers' Stadium and the Capital Stadium.

Chinese girls in ethnic attire ushered in 169 delegations, holding guide boards painted with logos of bird species.

Albania, the first to march in the Workers' Stadium, was with the logo of campo hawk. China, the last to enter, had golden pheasant.

A total of 265 Chinese athletes will compete in 157 events in 12 sports and fight for China's first ever overall title at the University Games.

Chinese have collected 106 gold medals since they made their Universiade debut in 1977 at Sofia, Bulgaria.

After a 110-day journey involving 300,000 torchbearers from 200 universities across the country, the Games flame reached its final destination to light up the sky above the Workers' Stadium for 11 days.

The torch was passed through seven current and former student athletes within the stadium, including four-time Olympic champion Deng Yaping and International Athletics Federation Vice President Lou Dapeng.

At 2130 local time, Sydney Olympic diving champion Tian Liang lit the seven-meter-tall cauldron through a flying disc as a packed crowd of 80,000 roared.

The competition will be in full swing Thursday when eight gold medals are decided from swimming, fencing, judo and gymnastics.

(Xinhua News Agency 08/22/2001)