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Original title: Cultural Weekly | Urban "Wind"! Parkour sports enter the public's field of vision

■ Hainan Daily Omnimedia Reporter Xi Jihong

Support yourself with your hands and leap forward. Run at full speed with the city as your stage. When you soar into the air, it feels as if the whole world is at your feet.

At the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, a cloaked torchbearer leaped across the rooftops of Paris with a nimble movement, lighting the torch and bringing the once-niche sport of parkour back into the public eye, capturing the world's attention.

From August 10 to 11, a parkour competition was held in several shopping malls in Haikou. The contestants climbed, ran and jumped on the track, showing off their skills and winning cheers from the audience.

The word parkour originated from the French word parkour, and it became popular in 2004 with the film "District 2" by the famous French director Luc Besson. Without the help of equipment or technology, it relies only on one's own movement and reaction ability to overcome various obstacles, making this sport synonymous with "exciting", "cool", "handsome", "youth" and "challenge".

In Hainan, parkour is attracting more and more people with its unique charm. People run through parks and beaches in a sturdy and graceful manner, leaping up and flipping into the air again and again, neatly cutting through the sunset and sea breeze, adding another scene to this beautiful tropical island.

Hainan parkour expert Su Liwei. Photo provided by the interviewee

Street "fighting" climbing, running and jumping

Running, climbing, jumping, rolling, sometimes like a fish leaping, sometimes like a cat crawling... On the morning of August 11, the final of the 2024 Haikou Longhua Parkour Challenge was held at the outdoor square of Wangfujing Haiken Square. The racers swiftly climbed over obstacles one after another, winning screams and cheers from the audience.

In the chasing arena next to it, as the whistle sounded, two players, as the pursuer and the evader respectively, ran, shuttled, and jumped back and forth in the arena, and decided their next move by observing and predicting the opponent's movement.

These are exactly the two types of parkour competitions: racing and pursuit.

Liu Guangke, founder of Hainan Juheng Sports Center (hereinafter referred to as Juheng Sports), introduced to the Hainan Daily All-Media reporter that the speed race is to see who takes the shortest time on the same obstacle course; the pursuit race is for two players to catch and hide, and the one who catches wins, which is called "ghost catching people" in the industry.

The 10-year-old contestant Jin Junxi came from Sanya to participate in the U10 mixed pursuit and individual sprint events. He has been learning parkour in Sanya for less than half a year, but he has already fallen in love with this sport, saying it is "very fun".

Gao Chenghui, general manager of Hainan Yuguang July Culture Media Co., Ltd., one of the co-organizers of the competition, said that last year the company participated in the first Mission Hills Parkour Invitational Competition in Longhua District, Haikou City (hereinafter referred to as the Invitational Competition), specifically inviting well-known domestic players to participate. This year's competition was changed to recruit participants from all over the country, and anyone over 7 years old could participate, attracting a total of 150 players of different ages from all over the country to come to Coconut City for the appointment.

"Climbing, running and jumping are instincts engraved in human genes. Children in particular prefer climbing, running and jumping, so everyone's positive attitude is not surprising," said Zhou Jun, chief referee of the competition.

In fact, Zhou Jun has another identity: the coach of the Chinese Parkour National Team. Having "run" in many places across the country, he believes that Hainan is very suitable for this sport. "Parkour requires continuous obstacles. In many cities, the venues that meet this condition are in residential areas. Hainan not only meets this venue condition, but also has particularly beautiful scenery, which is a big advantage."

Parents approve and welcome

On the morning of the 11th, the competition was in full swing. The 25-year-old Su Liwei stared at the two young players in front of him and stood on the sidelines of the chasing arena as a referee to watch the game.

Su Liwei has lived in Haikou for a long time. He started practicing parkour at the age of 15. He is one of the earliest parkour enthusiasts in Hainan. He was also invited to play the leading role in the promotional video of this competition. In last year's invitational competition, he won the championship as a player together with two teammates from other provinces.

Su Liwei told reporters that 10 years ago, there were very few traceurs (parkour trainers) in Hainan, and there were no formal teaching institutions. They could only learn by watching videos and communicating with each other.

For Su Liwei, the charm of parkour is that it not only exercises the body's reaction ability, but also enhances self-confidence. "After countless days and nights of accumulation, one day, accompanied by my friends, I finally achieved a breakthrough in movement. Everyone cheered and high-fived together, which was a wonderful thing," he said.

"Parkour is a combination of sports that can improve coordination, balance and other aspects of the body," said Mr. Deng, a Haikou resident who cheered for his daughter at the competition site on the 11th. His 12-year-old daughter has been learning parkour for two years. "Children grow up through bumps and bruises. As long as she is interested, we support her to learn."

More and more people are learning parkour, and Hainan is gradually expanding its training institutions. Liu Guangke told reporters that through daily exchanges with other clubs, he learned that there are now more than 20 clubs in Haikou that offer parkour courses, and the number of students in each club is increasing. For example, Juheng Sports, which he runs, currently has about 300 parkour students, and the number of new and renewed students every month is about 30.

Not only those who know about parkour or are learning it enjoyed it, the competition at the entrance of the shopping mall also attracted a lot of spectators.

"Parkour has gradually gained official and private recognition in Hainan," said Su Liwei.

As a traceur who got involved early, Su Liwei dreams that in the future more people will understand and participate in parkour, making this sport a popular sport in Hainan.

Parkour Safety Precautions

Warm up and stretch

Warm up and stretch thoroughly before and after each training session to prevent muscle strains and other sports injuries.

●Use professional equipment

Wear suitable running shoes to ensure adequate grip and cushioning; use protective gear such as gloves, knee protectors, etc. when necessary to reduce the risk of injury.

Environmental assessment

Before you begin training, carefully inspect the training area to ensure there are no dangerous objects or unstable structures.

●Gradually advanced

Don't rush for success. Gradually increase the difficulty according to your own level and avoid actions that are beyond your ability.

●Peer support

Try to train with friends as much as possible so that you can supervise each other and provide timely help in emergencies.

Follow the rules

Understand and abide by the local parkour community rules, respect others, and do not train in prohibited areas.

Emergency preparation

Carry a cell phone or other communication device with you so you can call for help in an emergency.

(Hainan Daily)