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China to Apply for Hosting World Cup Marathon Swimming Meet in 2002
China will apply later this year to host a World Cup Marathon swimming meet in 2002, an official of the China Swimming Association (CSA) said Tuesday.
Yuan Jiawei, a CSA official in charge of amateur training affairs, said that the CSA will apply to the sport's world governing body FINA for hosting one stop of next year's FINA World Cup Marathon Swimming Series.
Yuan was answering a question at a press conference on this year's swimming crossing of the Qiongzhou Straight, between southern China's Guangdong and Hainan provinces.
This year's version of the annual event slated for June 16 will be the first open water marathon swimming competition ever held in China with prize money for the winners.
FINA representatives are to be invited to this year's event for on-the-spot inspection, of China's capability for hosting a World Cup meet next year, Yuan said.
Chinese swimmers had not competed in any World Cup marathon swimming event or open water swimming event at the world swimming championships.
Participating in the event will be 50 swimmers selected from nationwide trials and 10 invited from the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions and Taiwan Province, according to a spokesman of the organizing committee.
The straight is about 25 to 32 kilometers wide and a successful swim-crossing takes some eight to ten hours.
Safety will be of top priority for the organizers, with every details of the preparations done strictly in line of the FINA requirements for open water marathon swimming events, the spokesman said. Each of the swimmers will be accompanied with a boat with a life-saver, a judge and a helmsman on board, with communications services available.
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