China's delegation of 123 athletes heading to Youth Olympics in Nanjing

The Chinese sports delegation for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games will go to Nanjing on Tuesday, the delegation's chief said at a ceremony on Monday in Beijing.

China will send 123 athletes ranging in age from 15 to 18 to compete in 222 events in 28 sports, including swimming, archery and basketball, said Xiao Tian, vice-chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee and also the chief of the Chinese delegation of the Youth Olympic Games.

"The Youth Olympics … values cultural exchanges with athletes from around the world more than competing itself. We'd like to take the opportunity to further communicate with the world's youth athletes," Xiao said, adding that a total of 3,868 athletes from 204 countries and regions will compete in the games.

The Youth Olympic Games are an international multisport event organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are held every four years with staggered summer and winter events.

The first summer Youth Olympic Games were held in Singapore in 2010, while the first winter event took place in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2012

Nanjing in Jiangsu province is hosting the second summer Games.

At the Singapore games, China ranked first on the gold medal list.