As the trend of fitness continues to rise, parkour is capturing the attention of countless young people with its unique allure. On October 11, the 2024 National Parkour Championships kicked off in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, bringing together nearly a hundred parkour enthusiasts from around 30 cities across China.
At the Huanglong Sports Center, the opening day featured thrilling competitions in women’s speed and men’s freestyle events. This championship serves as a qualifying event for the 2024 Parkour World Championships, featuring four disciplines: men’s speed, women’s speed, men’s freestyle, and women’s freestyle. The competition’s format and course design are aligned with international standards, challenging participants with increased difficulty levels that test both their technical skills and physical endurance while promoting top-level performance.
“The essence of parkour lies in overcoming obstacles while maintaining aesthetic beauty,” Chief Judge Wang Yanmin shared. “It’s essentially a blend of sport and art. Competitors must showcase their strength and speed while also emphasizing the elegance of each movement. This year’s championships have seen comprehensive upgrades in terms of the course, rules, and participants compared to last year, as this event selects the training team for the World Championships.”
The competition venue for this year’s events is set outdoors at the Huanglong Sports Center. The morning of the opening day featured intense heats, with parkour athletes demonstrating their exceptional skills as they aimed for a spot in the finals.
After excelling in the men’s freestyle preliminaries, participant Wang Shungang from Henan stated, “I was able to execute most of the moves I planned, despite a few small mistakes. I’m really happy with my performance. I think the appeal of parkour is that the obstacles on the course resemble the challenges we face in life. Overcoming these obstacles in the arena makes the ones we encounter in everyday life seem less daunting.”
The event is guided by the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau and hosted by the General Administration of Sport of China’s Gymnastics Management Center and the Chinese Gymnastics Association. It is organized by the Zhejiang Huanglong Sports Center and Zhejiang Huanglong Sports Development Co., supported by the Zhejiang Sports Venue Association and the Cultural, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau of Xihu District. The execution is managed by Zhejiang Huanglong Sports Venue Management Co., Ltd.
