The 2025 Yangtze River Delta Sports Games, which brings together both people with disabilities and those in good health, opened on May 13 at the Shanghai disabled persons' sports training base.
One of the highlights of this event was the role of technology in promoting the integration of people with disabilities into society.
This year's event introduced an innovative multi-region collaborative model, creating a shared sports resource platform for the Yangtze River Delta region to promote the coordinated development of sports for persons with disabilities in Shanghai municipality and Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces.
Du Songquan, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation, said that the application of technology, such as the welcoming robotic dog and AI sign language host, has transformed the concept of equal participation into a reality.
The games featured esports, table tennis, darts, and orienteering for people with and without disabilities. Notably, the table tennis competition featured a robot challenge, where athletes competed against a robotic player.
A technology fair was also held at the opening ceremony venue, where 13 companies showcased high-tech assistive devices and lifestyle products, including exoskeleton rehabilitation trainers, smart bionic hands, six-legged robot dogs, wellness robots, AR subtitle glasses, and electric wheelchairs.
Zhang Jiacheng, an athlete from the Chongming district in Shanghai, remarked: "I am very happy to compete with athletes from different parts of the Yangtze River Delta. Many events require collaboration among all participants, and for us, it is also an opportunity carry out physical and mental exercise."