2026 Henan Volleyball League kicks off, Zhengzhou team wins in first game

China News Service, Zhengzhou, November 14 (Reporter Zhang Nan) The 2026 Henan Women's Volleyball City League (referred to as the Henan Volleyball League) kicked off on the evening of the 13th at the Zhengzhou Gymnasium.

At the opening ceremony, break dancing and intangible cultural heritage shadow puppets were integrated, traditional martial arts and intelligent robots were on the same stage, and technological elements and traditional culture were presented together. Subsequently, the host Zhengzhou team and Kaifeng team started the opening match, and Zhengzhou team won 3:0.

Zhu Ting serves as the public welfare ambassador of this year's Henan Volleyball League. "Volleyball is a sport where we work hard together. Persistence and hard work are hidden in every jump and every save." In the concept video of the event, she encouraged the athletes to relax, enjoy the joy of volleyball, trust their teammates, fight boldly, and be fearless about winning or losing. She also hoped that more girls would like volleyball and pass on this love.

On November 13, the 2026 Henan Women's Volleyball City League opened in Zhengzhou. 19 city teams will compete in 141 games. The picture shows traditional martial arts and intelligent robots performing on the same stage at the opening ceremony. Photo by reporter Zhao Mengyang

The opening ceremony adopts an integrated arrangement with "ceremony as the core, performance embedded in the process, and direct access to the opening match", which is divided into four parts: competition, convening, going to honor and inheriting, making oaths and building together, and journey and leaping. The opening song and dance "Shadow" is led by Liu Qingyi, a breakdancing athlete from Henan, and combines intangible cultural heritage shadow puppets, street dance and flag dance performances. In the kung fu show "Resonance", traditional martial arts and intelligent robots are on the same stage, showing the Chinese spirit of both strength and softness.

At the scene, the league anthem "Central Plains Scene" was sung. The word "ostentation" in the song title is Henan dialect, which means dignity and style. The upgraded version of the "Pomp Girl" image was launched simultaneously. The Q version of the volleyball girl combines the traditional culture of the Central Plains with the modern competitive spirit, becoming a highlight on the sidelines of the game.

During the spirit transfer session of the opening ceremony, local Henan volleyball players Cai Xiaoqing and Yang Jiaxing completed the handover of tokens with young volleyball players. The opening ceremony ended and the opening match started. Zhengzhou team finally defeated Kaifeng team 3:0.

On November 13, the 2026 Henan Women's Volleyball City League opened in Zhengzhou. 19 city teams will compete in 141 games. The picture shows the Zhengzhou team (right) spiking the ball during the game. Photo by reporter Zhao Mengyang

This league is organized into cities. Each of the 19 teams represents a city card. The participating athletes are between 16 and 45 years old. Middle school students, college students, retired athletes, and employees of enterprises and institutions can all compete on the same field.

The league schedule is divided into three stages, with a total of 141 duels. The first stage of the regional competition adopts a single round-robin format. Group A is located in Kaifeng, and Group B is located in Sanmenxia. The two competition areas will start at the same time on November 16. The top 4 teams in Groups A and B will advance to the second stage of qualifying, and the top 4 in points will advance to the finals. The third stage finals will adopt a cross-elimination system and is planned to be held in January 2027. (over)