IN BRIEF (Page 22)

ROWING

Intercollege regatta scheduled for Xiamen

The 2007 Cross-Straits Universities Rowing Challenge will be staged in conjunction with the Peking University and Tsinghua University Invitational regatta in Ximan, in Southeast China's Fujian Province, on September 1.

Thanks to worldwide participation, rowing has become one of the top five most- watched sports in the world, according to the International Olympic Committee.

China is making leaps and bounds in the water sport, especially the universities emulating the great regattas between Oxford and Cambridge, which dates back 177 years, and Harvard and Yale's 150-year-old duel.

This year at Xiamen's Yuandanghu Lake, a picturesque location in the city's center, 12 rowing teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland will slug it out for the Men's Eight title over 2,600m.

EQUESTRIAN

National barrel racing event ends in Dapusi

The Dapusi Banner National Barrel Racing Championships and the Royal Horse Culture Festival recently wound up in Dapusi Banner, Inner Mongolia.

Organized by the Chinese Equestrian Association, CCTV Sports Channel, Inner Mongolia Dapusi Banner People's Government and the Sports Promotion Corporation of China International Television, the event featured team and individual competitions.

To encourage participation, only professional horse workers were permitted to take part in the team events, while the men's and women's individual competitions were restricted to amateur riders.

Zhang Yuming and Liu Kaixuan won the men's and women's individual titles respectively.

The team title went to Imperial Horse Garden Team A.

CLIMBING

Eilte climbers to meet high mission in Qinghai

More than 80 elite climbers from 18 countries and regions will travel to the city of Xining in West China's Qinghai Province at the weekend for the 2007 Shang-gao-ren-wei-feng Cup World Cup rock climbing tournament.

China's financial hub, Shanghai, held a World Cup meet last year, but the Xining will be the first time the tournament is held at an altitude above 2,500m.

The two-day tournament will feature four events including speed and difficulty competitions for men and women.

The world's top-ten climbers will contest four categories.

China will field a 15-strong team including Chen Xiaojie, who won the men's speed race at the Shanghai meet.

The event is sponsored by Hongtai Group.

(China Daily 08/08/2007 page22)