The 17th Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival opens at Dishui Lake in Lin-gang Special Area on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 17th Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival opened at Dishui Lake in Lin-gang Special Area on Saturday, drawing over 100 international guests and overseas students from more than 10 countries, including Australia, Cuba, and Uzbekistan, to foster cross-border exchanges via sports.

Guided by the Shanghai Sports Bureau and hosted by the Shanghai Sports Federation, the festival set two venues: Dishui Lake Square as the main venue and Shanghai L+SNOW Indoor Skiing Theme Resort as the branch venue. It boasts four interdisciplinary event categories — ice sports, running, group fitness, and esports — to suit all age groups.

On Saturday, highlights included Shanghai's first official Valorant mobile esports tournament co-hosted with Tencent Games, and a group fitness session blended with pop electronic music. A 10km lake run, a 5km walk, and the Shanghai Youth Alpine Skiing Championships kicked off on Sunday.

The 17th Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival opens at Dishui Lake in Lin-gang Special Area on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Moreover, more than 40 organizations hosted a carnival at Dishui Lake Square, showcasing high-tech smart sports like robot dance, drone soccer, and virtual racing, traditional folk sports including dragon-lion dance, and trendy sports such as golf and rugby.

Prior to the opening, a month-long citywide warm-up campaign was held with activities in commercial areas, campuses, and scenic spots. It brought rope skipping, shuttlecock kicking, and plank support to business hubs, launched ice sports experiences at Shanghai L+SNOW Indoor Skiing Theme Resort, and invited Olympic champion Zhong Tianshi to visit local schools to inspire young people to participate in sports.

The 17th Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival opens at Dishui Lake in Lin-gang Special Area on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 17th Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival opens at Dishui Lake in Lin-gang Special Area on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 17th Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival opens at Dishui Lake in Lin-gang Special Area on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 17th Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival opens at Dishui Lake in Lin-gang Special Area on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 17th Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival opens at Dishui Lake in Lin-gang Special Area on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 17th Shanghai International Popular Sports Festival opens at Dishui Lake in Lin-gang Special Area on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]