The Xingzhong Stadium in Zhongshan shimmered with lights and echoes of joy on the evening of July 15, as the opening ceremony of the 14th Guangdong Middle School Games opened.

Delegations of athletes, coaches and referees from 21 cities province-wide gathered in Zhongshan for the province's largest and highest-level middle school sports extravaganza.

The games feature 12 major events — track and field, swimming, basketball, volleyball, football, table tennis, badminton, wushu routines, aerobics, cheerleading, rope skipping and orienteering — spanning 262 sub-events. 

Zhongshan's 450-member delegation will compete across 19 divisions of all 12 events.