The departure ceremony of the "FAREAST CUP" International Sailing Regatta 2016 officially opened at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center on Oct 10, 2016.

Jointly organized by the Qingdao municipal bureau of sports, Qingdao Tourism Group, Qingdao Sailing and Yacht Association, Mokpo Sailing Association and South Korea's Sehan University, the sailing competition consists of rally and track races and will last until Oct 20.

The rally race of this international sailing regatta is a round trip between Qingdao and Mokpo, a coastal city in South Korea.

Six teams from different countries and regions, such as China, South Korea, Russia, France and Australia, will participate in the sailing competition.

The opening ceremony of the competition was held at the InterContinental Hotel on Oct 9.

Before the opening ceremony, Qingdao Sailing and Yacht Association and Mokpo Sailing Association from South Korea signed a cooperation agreement on enhanced exchanges and cooperation at sporting events.

Zang Aimin, vice-chairwoman of the Organizing Committee of Qingdao Major International Sailing Matches, said at the opening ceremony that the sailing competition will help to increase participation in sports, in addition to the efforts the government already makes to encourage sports, hopefully making it an influential sailing event in the Northeast Asian region.

The departure ceremony of the "FAREAST CUP" International Sailing Regatta 2016 is held on Oct 10, at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center. [Photo/sailingcity-qingdao]

Participants and officers pose at the departure ceremony of the "FAREAST CUP" International Sailing Regatta 2016 on Oct 10, at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center. [Photo/sailingcity-qingdao]

Participants from different countries and regions pose at the departure ceremony of the "FAREAST CUP" International Sailing Regatta 2016 on Oct 10, at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center. [Photo/sailingcity-qingdao]