NAPLES, Italy, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 Summer Universiade in Naples came to an end on Sunday, marking the takeover of Chinese city Chengdu - the hometown of giant pandas - for the next Universiade in 2021.
During the closing ceremony held in the San Paolo stadium on Sunday night, the flag of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) was passed from FISU President Oleg Matytsin to the hands of Luo Qiang, mayor of Chengdu.
"It's an exciting night!" said Luo at the ceremony. "It's now the turn of Chengdu for the next Universiade, and 16 million Chengdu citizens welcome friends from all over the world to join them in 2021," he added.
Chengdu had already made its presence felt in Naples days before the closing ceremony, with dancers dressed as pandas performing on the streets of Pompeii, a "Chengdu Panda Cafe" opening in the city center, and locals and tourists entering a prize draw for a free trip to Chengdu.
China's Olympic gymnastic champion Feng Zhe also joined the team to promote his hometown of Chengdu. As an ambassador of the 2021 Chengdu Universiade, Feng boarded a red panda-themed bus and greeted tourists on the streets of Naples, introducing his hometown to onlookers.
"We hope that more friends across the globe can visit Chengdu in 2021 to enjoy the next Universiade with us!" said Feng.
