For the opening ceremony, China's major state leaders including CCP General Secretary Jiang Zemin, Premier Li Peng, and Vice-premier Zhu Rongji were present.
The main current games are hosted by Beijing, Sichuan and Qinhuangdao City.
The emblem is a burning torch, accompanied by the Roman numeral VII (seven), shaped into a runway by two opposite "7" symbols, representing the number of sessions.
Beijing hosted 26 events: athletics, swimming, gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, weight lifting, fencing, judo, international style wrestling, boxing, modern pentathlon, equestrianism, Chinese-style wrestling, Go, speed skating, short track skating, cycling, navigation model, radio direction finding, parachute, soccer, basketball, table tennis, tennis, handball, hockey, and women's softball.
Sichuan hosted 15 events: diving, water polo, synchronized swimming, fencing, shooting, archery, rowing, kayaking, swimming, water skiing, aviation model, volleyball, badminton, baseball, and martial arts.