Athletes perform yoga moves on paddle boards. [Photo/WeChat account: wxlishui]

The 2023 National Paddle board Yoga Championship kicked off on Taihe Lake in Qingtian county, which is administered by Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province, on July 8.

The event attracted nearly 300 competitors from across the country, who competed in various categories such as paddle board yoga, paddle board racing, paddle board fitness and paddle board tai chi.

Paddle board yoga is a sport that combines stand-up paddle with yoga poses. Athletes have to perform challenging yoga moves while balancing on paddle boards. Paddle board racing requires endurance, speed and excellent coordination.

"This is my first time racing in Qingtian. I'm very impressed by the natural environment here," said Yan Yiwen, a paddle board yoga training instructor from Chengdu in Sichuan province.

"Qingtian has abundant water resources and many overseas Chinese, which makes it an ideal place to promote various water sports, especially emerging ones," said Zhou Changcheng, an official of the China Water Sports Administration.

The county has in recent years hosted many water sports events such as the National Waterfall Rappelling Invitational Tournament and the winter swimming series events in Zhejiang province.