China News Service — The 5th China Baise Leye International Mountain Outdoor Sports Challenge and the 20th Asian Climbing Championship China Leye 2012 will take place from April 25 to 28 in Leye County. Up to 20 top international teams from countries including Sweden, the UK, the US, Denmark, the Philippines, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Germany, and France will compete in the International Mountain Outdoor Sports Challenge, while over 100 elite climbers from across Asia will vie for glory at the 20th Asian Climbing Championship in Leye, promising an exciting lineup of events.
This edition of the competitions features several highlights: first, it’s the largest in scale yet — both events are international, marking the highest number of participating teams and greatest public enthusiasm in the history of the International Mountain Outdoor Sports Challenge and Climbing Competitions, with the most foreign athletes ever. Second, additional competition events and extended event time in the county town enhance the spectating experience. Third, the race routes have been shortened but made more challenging.
To boost spectator appeal and difficulty, this year’s International Mountain Outdoor Sports Challenge has undergone major changes in route design and event setup compared to the previous four editions. Following the opening ceremony on the morning of April 26, the race will start from Luomei Cave, loop around Leye County Town through its various streets and alleys. Along the way, a 4-person wooden shoe racing performance will be held at the Cultural Square, a climbing wall challenge set up on Tianle Road and at the Golden Source International Hotel, and fun activities like back-basket carrying demonstrations between Tianle Road and Sanle Road. This ensures that thrilling athlete performances can be seen from almost any part of Leye, making it convenient for spectators and amplifying the competitive atmosphere. Additionally, although this year’s race distance has been shortened from the original 206 km to 150 km, many sections feature rugged mountain paths rarely frequented by humans — with only narrow trails winding up 50–60 degree slopes toward mountain hollows, making even hiking difficult, let alone cycling. These are truly “devilish” stages.
The Climbing Championship has been elevated from a national elite competition to an Asian Championship, marking a significant step forward for Leye’s climbing events and gradual alignment with international standards. This Asian Climbing Championship will use artificial climbing walls, featuring men’s and women’s difficulty, speed, and bouldering events, as well as a mixed gender speed relay. Over 100 registered athletes from the International Federation of Sport Climbing will compete, representing the highest level and peak performance of climbing sports from their respective countries or regions, delivering a breathtaking yet safe “ballet on cliffs” at the Leye Climbing Plaza.
At that time, the strength and grit of outdoor athletes will complement the grace and finesse of climbing competitors amid Leye County’s tiankeng (heavenly pits) and ground fissures, creating a harmonious and inspiring tableau of humans coexisting with nature.
In addition, the award ceremony for the International Mountain Outdoor Challenge and Asian Climbing Championship will be one of the event’s highlights. The evening will center around the awards presentation, integrating local Leye songs and dances that reflect the area’s tourism culture and ethnic customs. The show will employ modern artistic techniques and expressions — through gripping song and dance performances, alternating wild and graceful choreography, rich and colorful traditional ethnic dances, captivating folk music, grand three-dimensional staging, and mesmerizing modern electronic sound and light effects — to perfectly showcase the artistic synergy of tourism, pristine mountain ballads, folklore, and contemporary ethnic performances. It will directly and intimately convey how Leye is a hidden travel gem, delivering a powerful artistic impact and emotional resonance to the audience.
During the “Two Competitions,” Leye County will also host the launch ceremony for the “China Guangxi — ‘Charming Leye’ International Outdoor Photography Competition” and the online microblogging travel photography contest themed “That Place of ‘Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Leaves’ — Leye.” A photo book titled Journey Through Leye, published by China Photographic Publishing House, will be unveiled at the launch event to help promote the competitions.
Centered on the theme “Charming Leye,” this photography competition will collect outstanding works from across the nation from April 2012 to March 2013, showcasing Leye’s recent economic development, improvements in people’s livelihoods, tourist landscapes, outdoor sports activities, natural ecological preservation, and resource endowments. Simultaneously, online submission platforms will be available via the China Photographers Association website, Guangxi Tourism Online, Tencent Picture Channel, Xitek.com, Leye Tourism Network, and Feimao Network for promotional display. After the submission period, a panel of experts from the China Photographers Association and relevant organizers will select the finest entries from the collected images.