A swimming race across the Haitan Strait will kick off in Pingtan, Fujian Province on July 19.
A coordinating meeting was held by the organizing committee, local media reported on July 16.
At the meeting, local officials from different departments coordinated on security, medical emergencies, weather broadcasts and warning systems.
Liang Qinlong, deputy director of the local Management Committee, said that the aim of the event is to actively promote interaction with Taiwan.
It is a necessity to ensure the security of the event due to the large number of participants, he added.
According to local officials 619 athletes from different areas will participate in the event, much more than the number last year. They will register on July 17 and have a pre-swimming test on July 18. They will set out from the Xiaoshandong Wharf and swim eastward to the Nianggong Wharf on July 19, about 3 kilometers away. But swimmers can swim as far as 5 kilometers depending on tides and currents.
Apart from security, quality is another focus of the event. In order to ensure high quality, a professional operation team of 40 including state-level referees, timekeepers and medical personnel has been created.
