Players from Russia's Lomonosov Moscow State University march during the opening ceremony of the "Jintong Cup" Silk Road International Collegiate Football Invitational Tournament at the Shengle Campus of IMNU in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Sept 22, 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Besides the soccer tournament, there are a Chinese-Foreign University Presidents Forum, a Tuo Musi Oil Painting Exhibition, a Dunhuang Murals Art Exhibition, a Painting Exhibition of Chinese and Mongolian Teachers and Students and a College Traditional Archery Invitational Tournament.

Eleven universities were invited to take part in the soccer tournament, including National University of Mongolia, National Education University of Mongolia, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Belarusian State University, Kazakhstan Nazarbayev University, Uzbekistan Tashkent State Normal University, Tajikistan State Normal University, Peking University, Renmin University of China, Inner Mongolia University and IMNU.

This activity was sponsored by the Sino-Russian Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development, the Inner Mongolia Football Association and IMNU, and co-hosted by the Sino-Russian Foundation of Culture, Education, Science and Technology, and Development, the government of Horinger County, and IMNU.

Officials addressing the opening ceremony included Wang Wenqi, counselor of the Department of European-Central Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Menke Erden, consul-general of the Mongolian Consulate in Hohhot; Uyanga, from the Expo's organizing committee; Cui Shan, head of the Sino-Russian foundation; Bao Guanglin, government counselor of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and vice general minister of the department of coordination of the expo; Guo Gang, vice director of the Bureau of Commerce of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, director of the Port Office and vice minister of the department of coordination of the expo; Kurbanov Fatiali, representative of the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in China; Zhang Yamin, vice director of the Department of Education of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region; Wu Gang, vice director of the Sports Bureau of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and vice chairman of the Inner Mongolia Football Association; and leaders of participating universities.

Among guests attending the opening ceremony were the following leaders and representatives of teachers and students of Inner Mongolia Normal University: President Yun Guohong, Vice Presidents Zhang Haifeng, Liu Jiuwan, and Zhao Donghai, and Party Committee members Wang Laixi, Burenjirigala and Zhang Baocheng. President Yun presided over the opening ceremony.