Jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and the State Administration of Sport, the 12th National Student Games will be held in Shanghai from July 28 to Aug 2, organizers announced on Tuesday.

It will be the first time the previously separated national university games and high school games will be combined. The new edition will be held once every three years.

The games, which will be held at 14 high schools, at the Oriental Sports Center in Pudong district of Shanghai and at East China Normal University Stadium, will see 3,714 students and coaches competing in eight different events, including track and field, swimming, basketball, soccer and wushu, a form of martial arts, for national titles, according to the sports ministry.

In addition, an international academic symposium and thesis presentations about physical education and student health will be held during the games. There will also be a school sports expo featuring a campus sports facility exhibition and a school athletic club demonstration.

The opening ceremony will be staged at the Oriental Sports Center, the host venue of the 2011 International Swimming Federation World Championships, and will involve about 5,000 student performers, The closing ceremony will take place on three ships cruising the Huangpu River.

Since May, 1,200 volunteers have registered with the organizing committee to serve the games, and a record of more than 20 million yuan ($3.2 million) in funds and goods has been provided by 22 sponsors.

Liu Peijun, deputy director of the ministry's physical education, health and art department, hailed the games as a great platform to promote physical education and fitness activities in Chinese schools.

"The games will not only highlight athletic competition, but also set the stage for exchanges of experience with PE course reforms and school sports promotions. We hope it will draw nationwide attention on student fitness," Liu said.

To ensure fairness, competitions between student athletes who are training consistently with varsity athletic teams will be conducted separately from the races for normal students.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn