Swimmers jump into the water in the 2022 Yangtze River Delta Open Water Swimming Championships which opened in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province on July 9. [Photo/hz66.com] 

The 2022 Yangtze River Delta Open Water Swimming Championships opened in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province on July 9, local media reported.

The event, which consists of a 10-km race, a 2-km race and a 1-km race, attracted more than 800 professional and amateur swimmers from the delta, a region encompassing the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui as well as the municipality of Shanghai. 

The biggest highlight of the event was the 10-km swim in which swimmers competed in the waters of the southern part of Taihu Lake, the third-largest freshwater lake in China. 

Local sports authorities said they would hold more regional sports events like the swimming race to strengthen sports, culture and tourism exchanges between cities circling the Taihu Lake, as well as promote the development of the sports industry in the Yangtze River Delta.

Swimmers compete in the 2022 Yangtze River Delta Open Water Swimming Championships which opened in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province on July 9. [Photo/hz66.com]