International participants join annual cold-water competition in Dalian

Nearly 2,000 domestic and international winter swimming enthusiasts gathered at the Xinghai Bay Bathing Beach in Dalian, Liaoning province, on Sunday to participate in the 2026 Dalian Winter Swimming Open.

This year's event featured professional competitions and carnival activities, such as duck catching, to blend competitive spirit with mass participation.

The field comprised 56 teams, including athletes from 20 domestic provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, as well as international participants from Russia, Latvia, Canada, and Kazakhstan. A winter swimming delegation from Russia's Primorye territory fielded an impressive 190 members.

The event was organized with six national and 34 national first-class judges to ensure the competitions were fair and of professional standards. The venue was equipped with warm water shower pools, ginger soup services, and thermal blankets.

Dalian has a long-standing tradition of hosting winter swimming events. The northeastern port city has organized national winter swimming events every January since 1996.