The sports day is usually a fixed item on every school's calendar, giving students a day off and the chance to enjoy themselves in a variety of events.

Last Friday, the Sino-Canada High School held its annual sports day. Jiang Jialiang, the table tennis world champion, attended the sports day with his wife, Wu Yufang, a famous Chinese actress.

As an international school, Sino-Canada High School provides a certified Canadian high school curriculum and diploma program, approved by both the education authorities in Jiangsu Province and British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the Sino-Canada Education Park, along the banks of the beautiful Dianshan Lake, near the border between Shanghai and Jiangsu Province.

"Sports can bring us more than just physical health," Jiang told the students. "We can better understand the importance of team work and the spirit of perseverance through taking part in the sports competitions." And Jiang hoped all the students could enjoy themselves at the sports day.

At the opening ceremony, the students lined up in their classes and walked around the sports ground. During the parade, each class put on characterful performance, with aerobics, Chinese gongfu, taiji and other sports activities. One class even invited local people to perform the dragon dance at the ceremony.

"This was more like a cultural event than a sports event," Ma Yong, one of the teachers said. "At the ceremony we can see both Western and Chinese traditional activities, which really reflect the mixed culture of our international school."

After the ceremony, the students took an active part in various sports competitions, including the 200-meter race, 400-meter race, 400-meter relay, long jump and high jump competitions, etc. The students cheered the competitors on and the whole campus had an excited, friendly and warm environment.

"It was a great fun day. My friends have given me a lot of encouragement during the races," Qin Jiahui, a grade 12 student, said. "And I'm glad to get the first prizes both in the 200-meter race and in the 400-meter race. It will be a sweet memory of Sino-Canada High School before my graduation."

(Shanghai Daily October 26, 2007)