Final preparations underway for 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai

(ECNS) -- With five days to go before the opening of the 48th WorldSkills Competition, preparations have entered the final stage at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

All materials for the 64 competition events have arrived, and the construction of functional rooms and workstations is basically complete. Facilities and equipment are undergoing final debugging.

The competition will feature 64 events across eight venues. About 1 million pieces of infrastructure items have been organized. Security, emergency response and other departments are working together to implement tailored management plans for each competition event, ensuring safety and technical support throughout the competition.

Gao Zhanfeng, deputy director of the competition department of the Shanghai 48th WorldSkills Competition Executive Bureau, said final debugging of facilities for each event is underway and all preparations are expected to be completed by Friday.

The competition covers six major fields, including transport and logistics, and construction and building technology. Chinese competitors will take part in all 64 events, with training progressing in parallel.

The venue design strictly follows the requirements of WorldSkills International to ensure competitors from all countries can quickly adapt to the competition environment, said Chen Qiong, venue manager for the creative arts and fashion zone. "Whether it's the training bases in Shanghai or across the country, we strictly follow WorldSkills International's requirements for competitor workstations, including area, equipment placement and movement routes," Chen said.

AI-powered design technology has been introduced in events such as hairdressing to assist competitors in creating designs digitally, adding a tech dimension to traditional service skills.

To enhance the viewing experience, the floristry event uses a black light-absorbing background to better display competitors' works, while computer-related events have added external display screens to show the competitors' operations in real time.

The competition also features interactive experience areas near the events, where visitors can try simple operation modules and get hands-on with various skills.

(By Tang Yuxian)