Regatta on Suzhou Creek to attract sports enthusiasts
Racers compete on Suzhou Creek on Saturday.
More than 460 rowers will compete on Suzhou Creek in an elite regatta over the weekend as part of efforts to develop it into a "golden waterway" for sports competitions.
The racers from 34 teams of domestic rowing clubs and universities are taking part in the first Shanghai Regatta City Elite Competition along the Putuo section of the creek.
They will race along a 1,000 meter section of the waterway near the Luding Road Bridge, which features many heritage buildings of China's earliest national industries.
Twenty-four winning teams will be selected on Sunday through various competitions.
The race has become another key regatta on the creek, in addition to the Head of the Shanghai River Regatta at the mouth of the creek.
Putuo aims to attract the world's top sports events and draw global attention to the creek, according to the district's sports bureau.
A women's team poses on the creek after a race.
More than 1,000 sports, cultural and tourism events have been announced along the riverside section in Putuo, or the Half Marathon Suzhou Creek.
The 2023 Shanghai Elite 10K Race, which has become one of the world's top elite races, will also be held on October 15.
Dozens of dragon boat teams will also race each other on the creek during Shanghai's annual dragon boat competition between June 17 and 18, ahead of this year's Dragon Boat Festival which falls on June 22.
Other public sports competitions, including paddle boarding, frisbee, rugby and drone flying, will invite amateur citizens to compete along the creek through December.
Stunt shows are performed on the creek.
