Gu Gang, mayor of Changchun city, northeastern China's Jilin province, lights the lantern from the ceremonial cauldron "Flame of Knowledge" for the 33rd Winter World University Games in Turin on Oct 8, 2026. The 2027 Winter Universiade will be held in Changchun in January. Zhang Zhouxiang / China Daily

The flame for the 33rd Winter World University Games to be held in Changchun, northeastern China's Jilin province, was lit in Turin, Italy, on Thursday, marking another milestone in preparations for the event to be held early next year.

At a ceremony held at the University of Turin, a torch from 1959, the year the first-ever Universiade was hosted by the city, was used to light the cauldron, from which the Changchun 2027 flame lantern was ignited.

A Chinese official talks with Ji Bing and Ji Xue, mascots of 2027 Changchun Universiade. Zhang Zhouxiang / China Daily

Gu Gang, mayor of Changchun, vice-chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2027 Winter World University Games and chairman of its Executive Committee, handed the lantern to a flame bearer. The lantern was then carried through the streets of Turin.

"Though thousands of miles apart, Changchun and Turin are now connected by the flame collection ceremony, united in youth and bound by sports," Gu said in an address. "With the flame as our bond and ice and snow as our medium, let's build a bridge of cultural exchange between East and West, bringing young people from all over the world closer together in mutual understanding and shared progress."

"FISU stands for education, culture and sport, and Changchun is making every effort to provide an excellent mixture of these three elements," Leonz Eder, president of the International University Sports Federation, said.

"The event will be a world-class sporting competition supported by excellent facilities, a high-quality international academic conference and cultural exchange programs that will allow students from around the world to experience the beauty of the province and the city, particularly its winter festival," he added.

"Sports is a powerful way to bring people together," said Cristina Prandi, rector of the University of Turin, which has been home to the Universiade's permanent ceremonial cauldron, the "Flame of Knowledge", since 2018. "This is particularly important for us because participating in sports activities helps our international students connect with one another, and feel a part of the university community."

Athletes and volunteers carry the lantern for the 33rd Winter World University Games in the streets of Turin, Italy on Oct 8, 2026. The 2027 Winter Universiade will be held in Changchun, northeastern China's Jilin province in January. Zhang Zhouxiang / China Daily

Emanuele Ughetto, a local student who has studied Chinese for a long time and volunteered as a translator for the flame collection event, said that he was very happy to be picked for the ceremony.

"I'm so excited to participate in such a grand event of transferring the flame to my motherland," said Yang Beishu, a Chinese conductor who lives in Turin. "The spirit of sports is a bond that links European people with Chinese people, as well as us overseas Chinese with our home," she said.

The flame-lighting ceremony came a day after Changchun marked the 100-day countdown to the opening of the Games on Jan 15. With just over three months to go, Gao Jifeng, director of the Changchun Municipal Sports Bureau and deputy director of the Office of the Changchun 2027 Executive Committee, said preparations have entered the operational phase.

Rather than building new competition venues, organizers have focused on upgrading existing facilities across the Changchun and Jilin competition zones, Gao said, adding that venue upgrades are now nearing completion, competition equipment is ready and schedules and lists of volunteers have been finalized.

Volunteers talk about details in the University of Turin where the fire was collected. Zhang Zhouxiang / China Daily

The flame will leave Turin and arrive in Changchun in mid-October. "In 99 days, student-athletes from around the world will gather in Changchun to challenge themselves and push their limits on ice and snow. May young people compete with courage and deepen their bonds through sport. May passion for sport cross all borders, dreams illuminate one another, and friendship endure for generations to come," said Gu.

"We have seen the vibrant energy of Changchun, the warmth and hospitality of its people, and the truly remarkable progress achieved in such a short space of time. Let's meet in Changchun at its finest," said Eder, the president of FISU.