Diverging feelings among citizens while YOG underway in Nanjing

With the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games in full swing, citizens have expressed diverging feelings on the international sports event taking place in the city.

Yang Mingyuan, a 31-year-old Nanjing native, said he was impressed by the opening ceremony, and if he can get tickets, he would like to take his 6-year-old son to watch the events live.

Also excited over the opening ceremony, 86-year-old Granny Yuan said hosting the Youth Olympic Games has made the city better-looking.

"Although it's an event for the youth, it also gives a boost to us mentally," she told the Global Times. "The city is getting more beautiful, I hope the citizens could enjoy their days in Nanjing."

Yuan said the event is undoubtedly helping Nanjing become more well-known in the world, though Nanjing has a -notable reputation for its history and as -a former capital of the country.

Ahead of the Games, Japanese delegation chief Yosuke Fujiwara warned Japanese athletes not to wear their -official tracksuits around town, but Yuan said Japanese athletes should be distinguished from the controversial Abe administration.

"They are just athletes, not those who do evil things to make the two countries' relations low," said Yuan, who experienced the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

Xie Xiyuan, a 13-year-old high school student, said hosting the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing has made the city cleaner and offers her a chance to -broaden her knowledge before adding her desire to attend the swimming events.

However, reaction to the YOG event has been lukewarm from other residents.

Seventeen-year-old Luo Hongwei said he is not going to watch the basketball games in the Youth Games though he claimed himself a fan of the NBA. The basketball events in the Games are in the three-on-three format rather than the regular five-a-side.

A fanatical Jiangsu Sainty soccer fan surnamed Dai, 34, said he has to wait to watch his team play at their home stadium, the Olympic Sports Center in Nanjing. The stadium is set to hold the athletics events for the Youth Games, as well as the closing ceremony.

Since May, Sainty have relocated their home games to Zhenjiang, a city about 70 kilometers east of Nanjing.