Paddleboard athletes compete on the Lijiang River in Pingle county. [Photo by Su Gui for en.gxzf.gov.cn]

The opening ceremony of the 2023 National Paddleboard Youth Championship and China Paddleboard Open was held in Pingle county of Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Oct 21.

This is the first time Guangxi has hosted a national-level annual paddleboarding event, with more than 1,000 athletes competing in various categories.

"The water in the Pingle section of the Lijiang River is calm and clear, making it very suitable for water sports," said 20-year-old Ye Guitong from Xiamen, Fujian province, who won the first place in the men's open group in the preliminary round.

Ye used to be a kayaking athlete in Fujian and switched to paddleboarding in 2019. He won the third place in the 2019 Stand-up Paddleboard World Championship and is now an athlete and coach.

In recent years, Pingle county has made efforts to promote water sports and develop an "ecology + sports" tourism brand. It has been included in Guangxi's first batch of demonstration counties for sports tourism.

Its popularity, reputation, and influence continue to rise, which has attracted people, resources, and funds. Pingle's GDP growth rate has ranked first in the city for two consecutive years, achieving a historic breakthrough in economic development.

"As a demonstration area for ecological sports in Guangxi, Pingle has always adhered to the innovative 'sports + tourism' integrated development model," said Chen Chao, director of the Guangxi Water Sports Development Center.

Pingle has successfully hosted rowing master races, such as the China Guilin Pingle Rowing Masters, which has been recognized as a national-level sports tourism event. Events such as this have injected sports elements into Pingle's ecological landscape.

In the future, Pingle will mobilize its full strength to accelerate the development of the core area of the Lijiang River Ecological Sports Industry Belt; establish a national youth water sports training and grading center; and make Pingle a permanent host for a large number of sports events. It will strive to become the first ecological sports pilot county in the country.