43rd International Children’s Games closing ceremony on Saturday at Zappeion

Can a 15-year-old run the 100 metres in 10:84? He can if his name is Wu Chen Yi and runs with the momentum of the Beijing Olympic Games. The young Chinese athlete achieved this impressive feat on the second day of the 43rd International Children's Games, which are continuing with great success throughout Athens. Football, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, tennis and swimming events are being held successfully at sports facilities around Athens. Many parents of the competing youngsters cheer them on from the stands while remaining spectators have discovered that athleticism can be more appealing than champion-level competition.

Meanwhile, every afternoon the Zappeion fills with parents who bring along their children to have fun in the play area which has been set up there. Huge rolling balls, rock-climbing, basketball, football, tug-of-war, stilt-walkers, jugglers and handcrafted art made from inventive materials make up the multi-coloured, innovative scene.

The curtain will fall on the Games on Saturday, June 27, with a closing ceremony to take place at 20:30 at the Zappeion. The teams from 87 cities, who had an unforgettable five-day experience in Athens, will gather to celebrate their participation in the International Children's Games. Athens will hand over the baton to Manama, Bahrain, the city that will continue the long history of the Games. International Children's Games committee chairman Torsten Rasch, Athens Tourism and Economic Development Company chairman Panagiotis Arkoumaneas and a representative from the city of Manama will speak at the event. The evening will conclude with dance and song, namely a performance by the youth band Porto Groova.