Wuhan racing to prepare for China's first 'military Olympics'

Close to the waters

Wuhan is a city endowed with rich water resources, a place with 166 large and small lakes throughout its territory.

Hoping to promote the great lakes and rivers, all 35 venues of the games are distributed in four zones adjacent to local waters.

The main venue for opening and closing ceremonies and track and field competitions is located in Zhuankou, a place surrounded by Houguan Lake and South and North Taizi Lake.

In the Optics Valley block, which is surrounded by East Lake and Liangzi Lake, athletes will compete in sailing, orienteering, marathon, triathlon and bicycle racing.

The Navy Pentathlon Stadium is located in Mulan Lake. The stadium will be reused by the Naval University of Engineering after the event. Two temporary beach volleyball venues are located on the beaches on the Yangtze River in Hanyang and Qingshan.

Wuhan has a reputation as a city of sports. According to city officials, by the end of 2014, a total of 33 world champions were from the city, which has laid a good foundation for the city to host sports events.

Different from the previous military sessions, which were mainly organized by military organizations, this session will be co-hosted by the military department and local government.

The change of its organizing bodies will not only encourage more members of the public to watch, but also is expected to enhance the military-civilian integration and exercise for all in the city, according to officials.