World Aquatics president hails China's aquatic sports development

GUANGZHOU, April 22 (Xinhua) -- World Aquatics president Husain Al Musallam has praised China's aquatic sports development, saying that Aquatics will be the strength of China at the Paris Olympic Games.

"Two months ago, at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, China topped the medal tally and set a new world record," Al Musallam said in a recent interview.

China's swimmers and divers amassed an impressive tally of 23 gold medals in Qatar. The event also saw 11 new world champions from China, marking the country's strongest performance since the 1994 championships.

Al Musallam also heaped praise on China's efforts of staging more and more major sports events.

"China has hosted so many sports events. I think after the Olympic Games, the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, people see China as not only an economic destination, but also a sports destination," Al Musallam remarked.

Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will co-host China's 15th National Games next November, marking the first time in history for co-hosting. Al Musallam said it is a great idea to combine the three regions with sports events.

"This concept will bring a very new idea, not only in terms of sports, but also in terms of movement among these three regions. This will attract more investment from outside and boost tourism," Al Musallam noted.