Wuhan Military World Games set to leave a rich legacy
With the 7th Military World Games about to close, the "Olympics for military" is set to leave the host city and the world rich legacies.
Sustainability
Since taking the CISM flag from Mungyeong, South Korea in 2015, Wuhan has devoted great efforts to make sure the 2019 Military World Games would be a great success and provide a long-term legacy for local residents.
Sustainability is a core value that the Games executive committee has tried to embody. Most of the sports venues are located near residential areas or at universities and will be open to citizens and students after the Games.
Photo taken on Oct. 16, 2019 shows a view of the welcome center at the athletes' village of the 7th CISM Military World Games in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province. [Photo/Xinhua]
It's good news for Lou Luchen, an amateur swimmer living in a northwest district of Wuhan with a population of 600,000, which until now, lacked modern sports facilities.
"In the past, I either spent a long time traveling to swimming pools in other districts or just swam in the Han river, which is quite dangerous in flood seasons," Lou said.
However, Lou and his friends will soon be able to jump into the water in the Five Rings Sports Center, a world-class arena near his home built for track and field, lifesaving and table tennis competitions at the Military World Games.
The Military World Games will also leave Wuhan with huge benefits from infrastructure improvements, new subway lines, and environmental upgrades. Over the past three years, the city renovated 1,300 kilometers of its urban roads and saw its metro network reach 330 kilometers in total length. Meanwhile, a total of 360,000 trees were planted.
A view of the athletes' village of the 7th CISM Military World Games in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province. [Photo/Xinhua]
Thanks to the Games, Wuhan has over 1.45 million registered volunteers now, which means there is one volunteer for every eight citizens.
All these facilities and assets are expected to provide Wuhan with a big edge for its bid for more international sports events.
"We also have about 20 military world championships a year, so we hope to come back in Wuhan for our military world championships," said Koita.
