Chinese contestants Hu Sige (R) and Yi Ying (L)?run in the race. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Zhangye city, in Northwest China's Gansu province, held the opening ceremony of the 2015 Zhangye Qilian Mountain International Outdoor Sports Challenge on July 18. The event is known for astonishing racing, listed among the national top ten sports tourism routes by Chinese Mountaineering Association in 2014.

The event was held at Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, renowned for unique peaks and grotesque stones.

Participants of the 2015 Zhangye Qilian Mountain International Outdoor Sports Challenge walk through the mountains on July 18. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Participants included 408 athletes and amateurs from nine countries such as Russia, France, Spain, and several Chinese provinces.

Four competitions were held, including 100 km and 50 km cross-country race for men and women. The route was 102 km long with the highest altitude at 3,869 meters.

Ma Saimin, the chairman of Gansu Mountaineering Association, addressed the opening ceremony by saying that Zhangye is a?beautiful city with abundant natural and cultural resources. "National sports events will stimulate locals to take part in physical fitness," said Ma.

The 2015 Zhangye Qilian Mountain International Outdoor Sports Challenge kicked off at Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, in Gansu province on July 18. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Zhangye city seeks to integrate sports, tourism and cultural resources to develop outdoor sports, according to Mayor Huang Zeyuan, who made a speech at the ceremony. "Our city is experienced in organizing large-scale sports and has improved the city brand through these events," Huang remarked.

More than 100 news media organizations were invited to publicize and report, including Xinhua News Agency, China News Service and China Sports Daily.

Edited by Andrew Ancheta