Shaanxi begins one-year countdown to 14th National Games

China's 14th National Games, scheduled to open in mid-September next year in Shaanxi province, will be the first national sports event to be held in the central and western regions, and also the first large-scale sports competition after the country's fight against COVID-19, a senior official with the Games Organizing Committee said.

Preparations for the upcoming 14th National Games should be in line with international standards and maintain high quality, said Wang Hao, Party chief of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, at a meeting held in the city on Monday.

Wang, also director of the city's Games organizing committee, said the sporting extravaganza should also be well-organized to ensure the best viewing experience for spectators.

Construction of 42 stadiums has been completed, and another 11 venues will be finished on time, according to the organizing committee of the National Games in an earlier news conference on Thursday.

Northwest China's Shaanxi province will host 34 sports and 387 events at the games, with two of the 34 sports held outside the province, organizers revealed at the conference.

It will also be the first time the quadrennial event will hold the National Games and the National Games for Persons with Disabilities in the same year at the same place.

Several celebration events, involving a morning city run and an evening gala, were held in Xi'an on Tuesday, marking the city's official entry into the one-year countdown to the opening of the 14th National Games, scheduled to be held between Sept 15 and 27 in 2021.