Why has the sparrow become a mascot in 2009 Belgrade Universiade? It may be one of the most frequent questions when we see this dandy, modern, charming little bird.

Organizers give some interesting answers -- because you can find sparrows everywhere in our country, and also because the sparrow chooses Belgrade to be his place.

"He is fast, dynamic, skillful," the Universiade official website is quoted as saying, "The sparrow is using his wings to proudly invite us all to be the part of this Universiade, and Belgrade to be the center of the world."

The sparrow, a genuine citizen of Belgrade, has a very modern look -- a hat and a T-shirt.

But an another question arises: do the sparrows agree with this -- becoming a mascot?

The 25th Summer Universiade will open in Belgrade, Serbia, from July 1st until July 12th in 2009. It is the most comprehensive sports competition in the world, right after the Olympic Games.

Around 7,000 athletes, comprising students from 170 countries, will compete in 15 sports and 208 disciplines in more than 60 venues.

Universiade are hosted every other year in selected city of a country member of FISU.

(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2009)