The Dolphin Project Invitational Kicks Off: From community pools to the Olympic Sports Center venue, 600 young swimmers are set to make waves as they compete on the Asian Games stage!

On August 30, the 2025 Dolphin Program × arena Junior Swimming Invitational kicked off with great excitement at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Swimming Pool. Six hundred young swimmers from 15 provinces and cities across China gathered at the Asian Games venue to compete fiercely in thrilling aquatic battles.

This event is guided by the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Association and organized by Greentown Real Estate Group Co., Ltd., Greentown Property Services Group Co., Ltd., and Arena (Shanghai) Industrial Co., Ltd. It is co-organized by Hangzhou Xiaoshan Asian Games Venue Investment & Construction Co., Ltd., with operations managed by Zhejiang Greentown Cultural Planning Co., Ltd.

Leaders and guests attending the opening ceremony included Zhang Yadong, President of the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Association; Wang Wei, Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Management Center, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Association; Zhang Junling, CEO of arena China; Du Ping, Vice President of Greentown China; Yang Zhangfa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Greentown Service Group; Zhu Jun, General Manager of Greentown China’s Marketing Service Center; Liu Shan, Executive General Manager of Greentown China’s Marketing Service Center; Wu Jinqiu, Executive Deputy General Manager of the Zhejiang Regional Group; Zhu Wenying, Assistant President of Greentown Service Group; and Shen Xiaoyan, Assistant General Manager of Greentown China’s Marketing Service Center.

The "Dolphin Ambassador Champion Squad," featuring Ye Shiwen's coach Wei Wei, national swimming champion Zhang Yixiang, and Youth Olympic Games swimming champion Li Guangyuan, arrived simultaneously to lend their support.

The event featured the signing ceremony of the brand strategy between Greentown's "Dolphin Program" and the international swimming brand arena, injecting new momentum into the professional and global development of youth swimming programs.

This event is open to youth aged 6 to 15, featuring eight age categories. The events strike a balance between inclusivity and professionalism, offering both foundational strokes like frog kick and flutter kick—perfect for younger swimmers—as well as more advanced competitions in traditional swimming styles, including the 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke, and freestyle. At the competition venue, athletes showcased their vibrant competitive spirit: crisp, confident starts from the blocks, powerful strokes through the lanes, and relentless sprints toward the finish line. Meanwhile, cheers and encouragement from the excited spectators echoed throughout the arena, filling the Asian Games venue with the dynamic energy of youthful determination and passion.

As a deeply rooted public welfare project dedicated to youth swimming, Greentown’s “Dolphin Program” has evolved into a versatile, “all-in-one” youth swimming initiative that combines educational summer camps, community outreach activities, and competitive events. In 2017, the program earned recognition from the Shanghai Great World Guinness as the "Youth Swimming Public Welfare Event Held in the Most Cities," having already introduced over 225,000 young participants to the sport of swimming. Many of the athletes competing in today’s event are alumni of the "Dolphin Program"—they first discovered their passion for swimming at local pools near home, nurtured their love for the sport through the program’s training sessions, and ultimately stepped onto the same iconic track used during the Asian Games. This journey marks their remarkable transition from the "first lesson" of beginner swimming in community pools all the way to the professional arena of Asia’s premier sporting venue.

This kind of growth journey is a vivid demonstration of the event’s mission: "using as the foundation while empowering through professionalism." The Greentown “Dolphin Project” aligns perfectly with the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Association’s public welfare mission—to bring swimming into communities, schools, and homes. Together, we’re committed to building a comprehensive youth swimming development system that integrates "training, challenge, competition, and community service." Speaking at the event, Zhang Yadong, President of the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Association, emphasized that this competition serves as a crucial link between "mass participation swimming" and "elite-level competition." "From community pools to national arenas," he noted, "these young athletes are not only advancing from training into professional—but also helping to nurture a thriving swimming ecosystem that benefits everyone."

At the event venue, Dolphin Ambassador Zhang Yixiang shared his heartfelt message with the young athletes, expressing that he sees in these kids the purest form of passion for swimming. He encouraged them to always hold onto this enthusiasm, reminding them that the courage and resilience they’ve cultivated in the pool will ultimately become invaluable assets on their life journeys. Olympic champion Xu JiaYu and Asian Games gold medalist Fei Liwei also joined in, extending their best wishes to the competitors and collectively celebrating the bright future of China’s next-generation swimming stars.

The hosting of this event not only provides a professional platform for young swimming talents across the country to compete and exchange skills, but also marks an important step for Zhejiang’s swimming community in strengthening grassroots development and nurturing the next generation of elite athletes. Looking ahead, as the "Dolphin Project" continues to expand, more young swimmers will thrive in competitive settings, injecting fresh energy and dynamic new talent into the growth of swimming—both in Zhejiang and nationwide.

Source: China Daily Online