The 2009 Summer Universiade officially raised its curtain Wednesday with a spectacular opening ceremony.

The biggest sporting event ever held in Serbia has attracted about 9,000 student athletes, coaches and officials from 143 countries and regions.

Almost since Belgrade secured the Summer Universiade in Innsbruck in 2005, the doubters have been suggesting that the country will not be able to manage the games efficiently, that the venues won't be ready. But indications are that things are going largely to plan and everything is set for a successful event.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for EU integration and head of the Universiade organizing committee Bozidar Djelic said that it was not easy to make preparations for holding such a huge event during an ongoing economic crisis but FISU was very cooperative concerning the problems faced by Belgrade.

He said that a sum of 7 million euros has been saved by moving the opening ceremony from the Red Star Stadium to the Belgrade Arena, a change made in agreement with FISU.

After a succession of Serbian athletes carried the games torch around Belgrade Arena, it was volleyball player Borislav Petkovic who helped light the cauldron outside the stadium.

An hour before the start of the ceremony, athletes and volunteers carrying flags of the competing countries and regions marched from the Universiade Village to the Belgrade Arena.

First held in Turin in 1959, this year's event will be the 25th World University Games. Participants must be between 17 and 28 and studying for a degree or diploma, or have graduated within the past year.

China, who collected 87 medals at last Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand, has sent a 445-member delegation to Belgrade. They will compete in all 15 sports and are expected to win medals in fencing, artistic gymnastics, diving and table tennis.

On Thursday the first eight of 203 gold medals will be awarded in artistic gymnastics, fencing and taekwondo, while preliminary soccer, basketball and water polo rounds already got underway earlier in the week.

The Universiade will close on July 12.

(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2009)