The 2nd Youth Games of the People's Republic of China began on the night of Aug 8 in the capital of North China's Shanxi province.

The Games, which will run until August 18, have attracted around 33,000 athletes from across the country, who will compete in 1,868 events.

Several students from Shanxi University made a good showing at the opening ceremony of the Games and in some subsequent performances.

Ren Yanzhou, a member of the archery team at the School of Sports of Shanxi University, led all athletes in taking an oath at the opening ceremony. Ren will represent the Shanxi archery team during the games.

Ren once won second place in men’s archery at the National Games of the People's Republic of China in Tianjin in 2017, the first Shanxi player to do so in 30 years.

Liu Huimin, who studied sports training at Shanxi University from 2013 to 2017, showcased her skills in an archery performance at the opening ceremony.

Liu won gold in women’s archery at the 1st Youth Games of the People's Republic of China, which were held in Fuzhou, East China’s Fujian province, in October 2015.

Students Gao Ensi and Zhao Ruozhu of Shanxi University played an important role in the torch relay and lighting the torch.

Gao Ensi is a disabled national second-level athlete and a postgraduate at the School of Political Science and Public Management of Shanxi University.

Zhao Ruozhu is an undergraduate majoring in sports training at Shanxi University. He has represented the Chinese shooting team in international competitions numerous times and has broken the world record. He has also won a gold medal in both the Asian Games and the World Championships and has been recruited into the national shooting team for the Tokyo Olympics.

Ren Yanzhou, a member of the archery team at the School of Sports of Shanxi University, leads athletes in taking an oath at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Youth Games of the People's Republic of China in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on the night of Aug 8. [Photo/sxu.edu.cn]