The opening ceremony of the 26th Shandong Provincial Games will be held on Aug 26 in Linyi, marking the first time the province's largest sporting event has been held in the city. The closing ceremony is scheduled for Sept 5 at Linyi Olympic Sports Park.

The Games feature 38 sports and 1,081 events, with a total of 1,620 gold medals up for grabs. The number of events has increased by 19 percent from the previous edition. More than 13,000 athletes have registered to compete, accompanied by over 3,000 coaches and referees. Both the number of events and participating athletes are the most in the Games' history.

The competition spans from the start of the preliminary rounds on March 25 to the final events after the opening ceremony. To date, 98 percent of the preliminaries have been completed, with 380 gold medals already awarded across 11 sports and multiple events.

Additionally, in order to align with international standards, the Games have added figure skating, ice hockey, coastal rowing, baseball and softball. The competitions will be held across 12 counties and districts in Linyi, supported by 33 newly built or renovated venues.

The logo of the 26th Shandong Province Sports Games held in Linyi, Shandong. [Photo/Dazhong News]