In the height of summer, young athletes from China and Russia came together at NPU. On July 8, the men’s basketball team from Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) and the high-level men’s basketball team from Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) took to the court at Ao’xiang Stadium on the Chang’an Campus, treating spectators to an exciting friendship match.The event was attended by Yue Xiaokui, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC NPU Committee and Vice President of NPU; Sergei Kulikov, Vice-Rector of Moscow Aviation Institute; and Zhang Yuangeng, Executive Council Member of the China Student Sports Federation and Secretary-General of the Student P.E. Association of Shanxi Province. Xiang Dan, Party Secretary of NPU-MAI Joint School, presided over the opening ceremony.
In his remarks, Yue Xiaokui extended a warm welcome to the guests, coaches, and participating athletes of the MAI delegation, who had travelled from afar. He noted that, against the backdrop of the 2026–2027 China–Russia Years of Education, the basketball friendship match jointly held by NPU and MAI in Xi’an represented a vivid example of the two universities’ efforts to foster mutual understanding among young people and deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges. He encouraged students from both universities to use the match as a bridge for continued engagement, expand channels for interaction, and strengthen the friendship between the two institutions. Through mutual learning and shared progress, he said, young people from China and Russia could bring together the energy of youth and demonstrate the promise of their generation.
In his remarks, Sergei Kulikov expressed his sincere appreciation to NPU for its meticulous preparations and comprehensive organizational support. He said that the two universities shared longstanding ties and a solid foundation for cooperation, and expressed the hope that they would continue to deepen collaboration in such key areas as talent development, joint scientific research, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, while broadening the scope and enriching the substance of their partnership. He also warmly invited NPU faculty and students to visit Russia for reciprocal visits, study programs, and academic exchanges, and wished the basketball friendship match every success, with both teams playing to the best of their abilities.
Galanin Petr, head coach of the MAI basketball team, and He Yuxiang, head coach of the NPU basketball team, led their players to center court for a friendly pre-game exchange. Sergei Kulikov was then invited to make the ceremonial tip-off. As the ball was tossed high into the air, cheers immediately filled the arena, marking the official start of the match.
Both teams quickly found their rhythm on the court. Driving runs, pinpoint passes, determined contests for possession, and rapid transitions between offense and defense made for an intense and closely fought game. A succession of impressive team plays repeatedly brought the atmosphere in the arena to a crescendo. On the court, the players competed with intensity and gave their all; off the court, members of both teams encouraged one another and interacted warmly. Through basketball, young people from China and Russia transcended barriers of language and distance, allowing youthful energy and genuine friendship to flourish on the court. After the match, players from the two teams sat together to share their experiences, discuss their common passion for sport, and exchange their aspirations and hopes for the future.
The China–Russia Youth Basketball Friendship Match was jointly hosted by NPU’s Physical Education Department, the Undergraduate Student Affairs Departmentof the NPU Committee of the CPC, the Office of International Cooperation, and NPU-MAI Joint School, with support from the Student Basketball Management Association. Centered on the theme of the China–Russia Years of Education, the event used basketball as a bond to build a bridge for dialogue between young people and to strengthen friendship between students of the two universities through athletic competition.
During their visit to NPU, members of the Russian basketball team and students from NPU-MAI Joint Institute, jointly attended a calligraphy experience and exchange activity. Working in pairs, young participants from China and Russia took up their brushes and wrote the four Chinese characters “中俄友谊,” meaning “China–Russia Friendship.” Through the expressive art of brush and ink, they experienced the distinctive appeal of traditional Chinese culture and forged friendships between the young people of the two universities in the refined atmosphere of Chinese calligraphy. The activity received strong support from NPU’s Art Education Center.
Going forward, NPU will continue to develop international exchange platforms at multiple levels and in diverse forms, helping young people from China and other countries deepen mutual understanding, strengthen friendship, and grow together.
（Text and Photos: Zhang Lina, Zou Haoran, Zhao Yuan
Video: Wang Yizhou, Liu Zhenming
First Reviewer: Yang Fenping
Second Reviewer: Cheng Yin
Final Reviewer: Xiang Dan）
Source: NPU-MAI Joint School
Translators: Yang Runze; Mei Leyun）
