Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China - Sept 15, 2021 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Aerial shot of venues of China's 14th National Games
2. Audience in stadium applauding, waving flags, cheering
3. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of Communist Party of China Central Committee, walking into venue, waving to audience
4. Various of audience applauding, cheering
5. Xi, his wife Peng Liyuan, others taking seats
6. Audience applauding, cheering
7. Opening ceremony in progress
8. Various of guard of honor carrying national flag of China
9. Xi, Peng applauding
10. Various of guard of honor carrying national flag of China
11. Audience clapping
12. Flag-bearers carrying flags of National Games (R), 14th National Games (L)
13. Formation of flag-bearers marching
14. Woman holding placard reading (Chinese): "Referees"
15. Various of formation of referees marching, waving flags
16. Opening ceremony in progress
17. Woman holding placard reading (Chinese): "Beijing"
18. Formation of Beijing delegation marching
19. Xi applauding
20. Woman holding placard reading (Chinese): "Inner Mongolia"
21. Various of formation of Inner Mongolia delegation marching
22. Woman holding placard reading (Chinese): "Henan"
23. Various of formation of Henan delegation marching, volleyball athlete Zhu Ting as flag bearer
24. Woman holding placard reading (Chinese): "Tibet"
25. Formation of Tibet Autonomous Region delegation marching
26. Xi applauding
27. Woman holding placard reading (Chinese): "Xinjiang"
28. Various of formation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region delegation marching
29. Woman holding placard reading (Chinese): "Hong Kong"
30. Formation of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) delegation marching
31. Xi applauding
32. Formation of Hong Kong SAR delegation marching
33. Woman holding placard reading (Chinese): "Macao"
34. Various of formation of Macao SAR delegation marching
35. Woman holding placard reading (Chinese): "Shaanxi"
36. Formation of Shaanxi delegation marching
37. Xi applauding
38. Various of flag-raising ceremony in progress, Xi, other attendees singing national anthem of China
39. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Xi Jinping, Chinese President, general secretary of Communist Party of China Central Committee:
"Now I declare the 14th National Games of the People's Republic of China open!"
40. Various of attendees applauding, cheering
41. Various of flags of National Games, 14th National Games being raised

Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the 14th National Games open on Wednesday evening in Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The quadrennial Games, dubbed as the "mini-Olympics," is the highest level of comprehensive sports event in China.

This year's sporting event, which has been China's only National Games so far held in the same year as the Olympics, runs from Sept 15 to 27. It features a total of 54 sports and 595 events. Among them, 35 sports and 410 events are set for the elite athletes, while the remainder is for the grassroots.

More than 12,000 athletes are set to compete in the finals stage of the Games.

Most events are held in Shaanxi Province, while sailing, canoe slalom, surfing, break-dance, fencing and cycling track are staged in other provinces and municipalities.

Some competitions have been opened ahead of schedule as the two-week period cannot accommodate the large number of sports events. So far outstanding athletes have snatched golds in several events including diving, shooting, cycling and water polo.

Wednesday's opening ceremony featured an art performance with three movements dedicated to the themes of national unity, the founding spirit of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and national dream.

Regarding epidemic prevention, a string of anti-virus measures including vaccinations, nucleic acid test, closed-loop management and health monitoring are in place for the safety of each participant, said the organizing committee.

Organizers have also vowed to adopt a zero-tolerance stance toward doping, as more than 200 officers will conduct a record number of doping tests during the Games.