The champions of five continents competed in the finals of the "Chinese Bridge" competition in Tianjin on Sept 21, with the contestant from the United States winning the overall championship. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"My first Chinese characters looked all crooked and I was blushing with embarrassment," Do recalled. "But she just smiled and said her first calligraphy was even worse. In that moment, the awkwardness between us just faded away."

Francesco Maria Greco, this year's European champion, found a similar quiet rapport playing badminton with a Chinese grandfather at a Beijing summer camp.

"It was a connection between people from different countries, with different skin colors and languages," he said.