Worldskills closes in Lyon, France, to reopen in Shanghai in 2026

Team China won 36 gold medals, nine silvers, four bronzes, and eight medallions for excellence at the 47th WorldSkills Competition in Lyon, France, which concluded on Sunday, topping other nations and regions in gold medals and total medals, as well as team score.

A total of 68 competitors from the Chinese mainland, aged 22 on average, competed in all 59 skills categories in the event.

These included eight from Shanghai, who competed in seven skills.

The Shanghai competitors won gold medals in Industry 4.0, Logistics and Freight Forwarding, and Autobody Repair; a bronze medal in health and social care; and medallions for excellence in Web Technology, Floristry, and Hotel Reception.

Among them, Lu Junwei and Xie Huixuan, gold medal winners in the Industry 4.0 category, got the highest score in the competition and were honored with the Albert Vidal Award.

At the closing ceremony, Wang Xiaoping, China's Minister of Human Resources and Social Security; and Gong Zheng, Mayor of Shanghai; received the flag of the WorldSkills Competition from Lyon as Shanghai will host the 48th edition of the event. The flag handover marked that it is now "China Time" and more precisely "Shanghai Time" for WorldSkills.

Shanghai also brought a spectacular performance on the theme of "Skills Create A Better Future" to the ceremony.

China joined WorldSkills International in 2010 and participated in the WorldSkills Competition for the first time in 2011. To date, it has won 93 gold medals, 41 silvers, 28 bronzes and 71 medallions for excellence.