中国最好玩的运动会，未来要在湖南举办！

The 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities came to a close in the resort city of Sanya, Hainan province, on Saturday, wrapping up the latest iteration of the event and spreading the joy of the traditional ethnic sports that can be found all around China.

11月30日，第十二届全国少数民族传统体育运动会在度假胜地海南省三亚市落下帷幕，为最新一届运动会画上圆满的句号，各色民族传统体育运动也为全国观众带去了无数欢乐。

The closing ceremony of the games was held at the Sanya Sports Center, with organizers conducting the handover ceremony to the delegates representing the next host, Hunan province.

第十二届全国少数民族传统体育运动会闭幕式在三亚市体育中心举行，现场还进行了会旗交接仪式，由海南转交给下一届运动会主办方湖南。

Gao Zhidan, director of China's General Administration of Sport, said at the closing ceremony that athletes from 35 delegations competed on the same stage, demonstrating not only their strength and skill but also a profound emotional and spiritual connection.

国家体育总局局长高志丹在闭幕式上致辞表示，来自35个代表团的运动员们同场竞技，不仅有力量与技巧的比拼，更饱含情感与心灵的共振。

"The games allowed us to share the fruitful achievements of ethnic unity and progress, as well as the advancement of national fitness," he added.

他补充说：“这些比赛让我们共同分享了民族团结进步和全民健身事业的累累硕果。”

A total of 6,960 athletes competed during the nine days of the games, which featured 18 traditional sports and three demonstration sports. The 13th games will take place in Hunan in 2027.

在为期九天的比赛中，共有6960名运动员参赛，出战了18个竞赛项目和3类表演项目。据悉，第十三届全国少数民族传统体育运动会将于2027年在湖南省举办。

As the sports — which are rooted in traditional customs and the daily lives of people from certain ethnic groups — have gained popularity nationwide over the years, the competition has become fierce, veteran ethnic sports athletes and coaches said.

不少少数民族体育运动员及教练表示，随着这些植根于特定民族传统习俗和日常生活的体育项目在全国范围内越来越受欢迎，运动员们之间的竞争也越来越激烈。

Kaharman Dawut, head coach of the wrestling team from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said even winning the Uygur wrestling event was tough for the team, even though the sport originated from the region.

新疆民族式摔跤竞赛项目教练卡哈尔曼·达吾提表示，哪怕这项运动的起源地就是新疆，现在就连新疆摔跤队想要赢得比赛都很有难度。

"I won first place in the Uygur-style wrestling category easily at the third and fourth games when I was an athlete. Now, we've seen many hard-to-beat athletes from other provinces and regions as more and more people take part in Uygur wrestling around China," Kaharman said.

“当我还是运动员的时候，我在第三、第四届比赛中轻松赢得了新疆民族式摔跤竞赛项目的第一名。而现在，随着全国越来越多的人参与这项运动，我们注意到了来自其他省份和地区的许多强劲对手。”卡哈尔曼说。

"But it's a good thing, because it means the event has been further promoted, especially among young people," the coach said. "Meanwhile, our athletes performed well in the Tibetan-style wrestling category. I think that's the charm of the games."

“但这是一件好事，因为它意味着这项运动赛事得到了进一步推广，尤其是在年轻人中间，”教练说。“同时，我们的运动员在藏族式摔跤项目中表现不错。我认为这就是运动会的魅力所在。”

During competitions, firecracker ball player Tan Weiwei from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region paid special attention to one of his teammates — his son, 21-year-old Tan Zhenyu.

在比赛中，广西花炮队选手覃维维特别关注他的一位队友——他21岁的儿子覃振宇。

Tan Weiwei, 46, has been playing firecracker ball — which is also called "Chinese-style rugby" because of its resemblances to this Western sport — since the seventh games held in 2003. His son has shown great interest in the sport, which has a history dating back 500 years. In 2021, the sport was named a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

46岁的覃维维于2003年第七届全国少数民族传统体育运动会开始接触“花炮”。这项运动也被称为“中式橄榄球”，因其与西方橄榄球的相似之处而得名。这项运动的历史可以追溯到500年前，覃维维的儿子对这项运动表现出了浓厚的兴趣。2021年，花炮被列为“国家非物质文化遗产”。

Tan Weiwei said the sport is traditionally popular in southern China, but teams from northern China are getting stronger as its popularity grows. Team Guangxi lost to Team Beijing in the intense final at this games.

覃维维表示，这项运动在中国南方地区一直很受欢迎，但随着其知名度的提高，北方球队也变得越来越强大。在这次比赛中，广西队在激烈的决赛中输给了北京队。

For many of the spectators, it was likely the first time they'd seen the sport live.

对于许多观众来说，这可能是他们第一次现场观看这项运动。

"By putting on our best performances and jointly lifting the competitive level of firecracker ball, we can make more young people interested in it and take part in it just like my son. Maybe one day there will be international firecracker ball events, just like rugby," Tan Weiwei said.

“通过展示我们出色的比赛表现，共同提升花炮运动的竞技水平，我们可以让更多年轻人对这项运动产生兴趣，就像我的儿子一样参与进来。也许有一天，会有像橄榄球一样的国际性花炮赛事。”覃维维说。