A poster for the inaugural Zhejiang Ecological Games [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

The first edition of the Zhejiang Ecological Games will commence in Lishui, Zhejiang province on Sept 19, according to the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau.

The games will mainly focus on outdoors sports which take place alongside mountains and rivers, such as marathons, hiking, cross-country running, cycling, rock climbing, paragliding, swimming, canoeing, dragon-boat racing, fishing, and surfing.

The games are set to take place every five years, with each edition touring six to eight cities across the province. The choice of venue is mainly based on the local natural environment.

The stops for this year's event, to be held between September and December, will include Lishui city, Beilun Port in Ningbo city, Wencheng county in Wenzhou city, Jinhua city, Tiantai county in Taizhou city, and Deqing county in Huzhou city, all of which boast lush mountains or lucid waters.

Zhang Yadong, deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau, said that the Zhejiang Ecological Games will showcase what Zhejiang has achieved in building an ecological civilization since the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" was proposed in the province in 2005. He also expressed his belief that the games will boost the integration of sports and tourism in the host cities.