Culture Tourism

National boat racing games to open in Anhui

By Ma Chenguang (China Daily Anhui Bureau)
Updated: 2010-05-27 17:51

HEFEI - The National Youth U-18 Rowing Championship is to open in the city of Lu’an in Anhui province between May 29 and June 2, drawing 473 participants from 21 teams nationwide.

It is the largest of its kind in terms of athletes, coaches, team leaders and working staff, said Lu'an Vice-Mayor He Ying.

After work on the west bank of Old Pihe River, the city's mother river, and the storage of water by the Rubber Dam on the river, Lu'an now has the full capacity to undertake water races, she said.

The 21 teams are from 16 provinces and the municipalities of Beijing, Hebei, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou, Shaanxi and Anhui, the People's Liberation Army, Wuhan and Xiamen, and two sports colleges in Wenzhou and Wuhan.

The athletes, who will be divided into four groups of men, women, lightweight men and lightweight women, will vie for awards in 42 events in three categories of 2,000 m, 8,000 m and combined events, she said.

The vice-mayor noted that rowing has a long history since its creation in Britain in the 18th century and was listed as a sport in the first Olympic Games in 1896.

Lu'an, with 7 million residents in four districts and five counties, has a traditional advantage in water sports and the city's rower Hu Jiaqi is the rowing champion for the Asian Games.

In 2006, athletes from the city won 13 gold, 14 silver and 13 bronze medals in rowing sports against competitors from 16 cities during the 11th Anhui Provincial Sports Games, she said.

She affirmed that the 2010 Women's Beach Handball League is also planned to open in the city in late June or early July.