TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Sunday (Sept. 15) morning in Nantou County, more than 20,000 swimmers jumped into the beautiful waters of Sun Moon Lake to enjoy the annual swimming event.
Sunday’s open water 3 km race across Sun Moon Lake marks the 42nd year of the annual swimming competition. Participants this year numbered almost 23,000 people, reported UDN.
Organizers said that 22,606 people signed up for the swimming competition, with 2,611 of them participating in the elite challenge race. Among the swimmers, there were 365 foreigners from 38 countries.
At 8:30 a.m., swimmers took the plunge, with some eager to challenge their swimming skills and make the best time possible. Others took the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely swim in the beautiful lake amid fresh mountain air.
Swimmers in the general competition were given a buoy to assist them in their swim across the lake. Meanwhile, those taking the elite challenge swam freestyle.
Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is 74 years old and a regular participant in the annual event, spoke to the crowd after completing the swim. Ma said that he has enjoyed the spectacular swim 11 times, but 2024 will be the last time he will be able to participate.
Ma thanked Nantou County for organizing the event and all of the swimmers for their participation. He said that Nantou County should consider organizing more swimming events each year to attract visitors from Taiwan and the world, per UDN.
Speaking in response to Ma’s suggestion, Nantou County Magistrate Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) said that climate conditions, public safety, and other issues must be taken into consideration for such large swimming events. In the future, the government will consider expanding the number of opportunities for the public to enjoy the waters of Sun Moon Lake.
However, Hsu said that the county is actively bidding to host next year’s Marathon Swim World Series, the world’s premier open-water swimming competition series organized by the World Aquatics organizations.
Alongside the event for the general public, the 10th annual Open Water Swimming Championships were also held on Sunday. According to Hsu, Sun Moon Lake is also set to host the Asia Aquatics’ Open Water Swimming Championships, and the races on Sunday would determine which Taiwanese swimmers qualify for the event, reported CNA.