The 2011 Universiade opened on the night of August 12 with a grand ceremony in China’s southern coastal city of Shenzhen.

Chinese President Hu Jintao attended the opening ceremony to honor college athletes from across the globe.

Taking part in the university games were nearly 8,000 athletes from 152 countries and regions who competed in 306 events in 24 different sports. These numbers made the games the biggest in the history of the Universiade.