On June 30, the 2018 Ziyuan International Rafting Elite Challenge & Sports Culture Week successfully concluded in Ziyuan County, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The event was divided into three major segments: the International Rafting Elite Challenge, the China Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) Gold League, and the International Rafting City Development Forum. Top rafting teams and SUP enthusiasts from both China and abroad delivered thrilling showdowns for a global audience in Ziyuan.
The event was jointly organized by the International Rafting Federation, the Water Sports Administration Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Sports Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the People's Government of Guilin City, and hosted by the Guilin Municipal Sports Bureau and the People's Government of Ziyuan County. Following the resounding success of the 2017 Ziyuan Rafting World Cup, which significantly boosted the reputation of Ziyuan rafting, this year’s International Rafting Elite Challenge & Sports Culture Week expanded into the realm of sports industry development. By integrating sports with culture, it created an international rafting brand that encompasses sports, culture, environmental protection, health, and tourism.
The two-day 2018 Ziyuan International Rafting Elite Challenge concluded on June 28 with the short-distance sprint race, where the Czech team claimed both the men’s and women’s championships. Later that afternoon, in the head-to-head race events, Brazil won the men’s title and New Zealand the women’s. On June 29, the long-distance race concluded with Brazil and the Czech Republic taking the men’s and women’s titles respectively. Ultimately, the overall champions for both men’s and women’s categories in the 2018 Ziyuan International Rafting Elite Challenge were Brazil and the Czech Republic.
On June 30, the China SUP Gold League took place on the Zishui River section in Ziyuan County. In the end, Du Yuansheng and Yuan Jiali won the 600m loop race open men’s and women’s titles respectively, while Wu Yinglin and Ji Yurong claimed the 1200m loop race open men’s and women’s titles. Wu Yinglin and Yuan Jiali also secured the overall open men’s and women’s championship points. Yan Yun and Ji Yaqin topped the 600m loop race senior men’s and women’s divisions, and Chen Geng and Ji Yaqin led the 1200m sprint senior men’s and women’s groups. Additionally, the International Rafting City Development Forum added further vibrancy to the “2018 Ziyuan International Rafting Elite Challenge & Sports Culture Week.” Organized by the International Rafting Federation, the forum aimed to create a platform for communication among rafting cities, with representatives from five foreign cities and nine domestic cities attending. Renowned rafting city delegates and industry experts delivered keynote speeches, with a total of 60 guests and participants present.
During the awards banquet, officials and athletes alike praised Ziyuan for hosting such a high-caliber international event, affirming its prominent status among similar rafting destinations. They also spoke highly of Ziyuan County’s breathtaking natural scenery and cultural environment. The post-awards performance session saw enthusiastic singing and dancing from athletes both domestic and international, driving the closing ceremony’s atmosphere to successive climaxes.
In recent years, leveraging the passion of water sports enthusiasts for rafting, Ziyuan has further promoted the integrated development of the rafting brand with local tourism, culture, and related industries through the deep combination of sports and tourism. At the same time, using the rafting events as an opportunity, Ziyuan has fully implemented the basic strategy of targeted poverty alleviation, fostering a new era of "beautiful economy" in the county and contributing to its poverty eradication efforts. The successful hosting of the 2018 Ziyuan International Rafting Elite Challenge & Sports Culture Week has earned high recognition from the International Rafting Federation and friends from around the world, further enhancing the national and international visibility and influence of Ziyuan County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Ziyuan’s development has now entered a fast lane.
This event was not only a water sports exchange but also an opportunity to help establish Ziyuan County as a world-class sports tourism destination. Moving forward, Ziyuan will strengthen the expansion and upgrade of its events, seize development opportunities, build an international rafting brand, and create a higher-quality platform for exchange among rafting enthusiasts.