 Smooching by the pool is one of the joys of summer the world over -- but at one Italian aquapark, it's a competitive sport and a business opportunity.
The Acquafan park in Riccione, a holiday resort on Italy's northeastern coast, proclaimed the World Kissing Day Games open on Sunday and estimates 10,000 kisses were performed in events ranging from "basketball kissing" to "underwater kissing." "Hundreds of people took part. It was a very joyful occasion," said Pier Pierucci, one of the organizers of the contest. "We were going to hold another World Kissing Day next year but after the huge success we're tempted to do it again this summer," he added. The games included some traditional events such as the longest kiss -- won by a couple whose lips remained locked for 32 minutes -- but there were more unusual contests such as underwater kissing, with the winning couple lasting 29 seconds. In the basketball event, couples had to get as many balls through the hoops as possible while kissing. "There were some impressive performances. Some people are really talented," said Pierucci. (Agencies) | 在游泳池里拥吻是世界各地人们夏季里的一大欢乐--但是在一家意大利的一家水上游乐园里，它成为一项竞技体育比赛同时也蕴涵着巨大的商机。 Riccione的游泳迷公园是意大利东北海岸的一个渡假胜地。公园宣布世界接吻日大赛在星期日举行，比赛项目从"投篮接吻"到"水下接吻"，估计有近10,000个吻在这里上演。 比赛的组织者之一皮埃尔·佩鲁奇说："成千上万的人参加了这次比赛，这是一次非常开心的盛会。" "我们本打算明年再举办一次世界接吻日比赛，但是既然这次取得了巨大的成功，我们很想今年夏天再举办一次。"他说。 这次比赛包括一些传统项目，例如时间最长的接吻--荣获此项冠军的两个人接吻长达32分钟。但是比赛更多的是不寻常的项目，如水下接吻，最终获胜的一对持续了29秒。 在投篮项目中，一对对参赛选手要一边接吻一边向篮圈内投尽可能多的球。 "有些表演很精彩，一些参赛者真是很有表演天赋。" 佩鲁奇说。 （中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2003-07-10 01:00
