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2008 Olympics

Qingdao's Underwater Gimmick: We're An Olympic City Too

February 6, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 0 Comments

In Beijing, the National Aquatics Centre is ready for the pool-based Olympic events in August. But on the coast in Qingdao, they're already holding the Olympics--underwater.

In a joint celebration for Chinese New Year and the Olympics year, Underwater World in Qingdao are staging the Underwater Olympics for two weeks, finishing up on February 12. Qingdao is, in fact, where the official Olympic sailing events will take place, so Underwater World is trying to help out by raising the profile of this city.

The Underwater Olympics competitors are all professional scuba divers, although they're now involved in activities they probably hadn't imagined before. There's underwater fencing, shooting, gymnastics and even cycling. It's enough to make you think it's the year of the fish, not the year of the rat.

Related Stories:
· Underwater Olympics [Ananova]
· Olympics Travel: Lights on at the Water Cube [Jaunted]
· 2008 Olympics Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ananova]