Mathiopoulos Ioannis, a Greek student at the Shanghai University of Sport who contributed to his team's first-place victory, shared his journey of learning tai chi fan.

"Initially, it was challenging. We all struggled with dropping the fans. But gradually, I learned to think in the way of tai chi," he said.

EI Hassen Bollahi, a Mauritanian student at Shanghai University who began learning tai chi last year, secured second place in the 24-form yang-style tai chi competition.

"I'm motivated to explore everything about Chinese culture, as it aids my studies in International Chinese Education," he said.

During the awards ceremony, Gui Yonghao, executive vice-chairman of the Shanghai Overseas Returned Scholars Association, emphasized tai chi's role as a key to understanding Chinese traditional culture. He encouraged participants to use this experience to grasp China's values of harmony in diversity and inclusiveness, serving as bridges for international cultural exchange.

The competition was jointly organized by the Shanghai Overseas Returned Scholars Association and Shanghai University.