Youth swimmers make a splash in Hohhot

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2016-08-23

The first teen swimming contest for the regional youth sports club took place in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Aug 21, and attracted 85 contestants from primary and secondary schools in the region.

The swimming contest included the regular swimming events like the breaststroke, backstroke, and freestyle at different distances, alongside some parent-assisted fun activities such as “landlubbers across the pool” and “dribbling balls in the water”, with the purpose of encouraging more teenagers as well as parents to participate in water sports.

One contestant crawls using the backstroke at the youth swimming competition in Hohhot on Aug 21. [Photo/ Xinhua]

The contest was sponsored by the regional sports bureau and association. In recent years, the sports infrastructure facilities have been steadily improving across China, thus boosting public interest in new varieties of sport.

The youth swimming contest was intended to motivate teenagers to improve their fitness levels, select talented swimming squads, and cultivate a strong sporting spirit, according to one director of the sports bureau.

"Thanks to almost six years of swimming, my body has become much stronger than before and I always feel quite energetic when studying at school; I've fallen in love with swimming," said an enthusiastic Zhang Ruizhe, who won second place in the 25-meter backstroke.

As the event organizer, the Fraternal Swimming Club has recruited around ten thousand teenagers for swimming training and offered standard pool facilities.

Wu Xia, the club manager and secretary of the regional swimming association, said this contest was just a start, and their club will cooperate with local bureaus to hold a swimming carnival every year that will appeal to more families and youngsters, encouraging them to take part in future swimming events.