As the first national-level sports event independently bid by Xishui County, Xishui Triathlon is also regarded as a model for exploring the upgrading of the sports tourism industry chain.
Text: Liu Liu
It was sent from Xishui County, Huanggang, Hubei
In the tide of economic development in 2024, China's major provinces and cities are going all out to achieve a "good start" for the economy. As one of the key forces to promote high-quality economic growth, the sports industry has received extensive attention and attention. In this competition for high-quality economic development, Hubei Province has become a typical representative worth paying attention to with its continuous efforts and many highlights in the sports industry.
On April 21, Luyang Township, Xishui County, Huanggang City, Hubei Province, held the "First Cultural Tourism Cup" 2024 Xishui First Rural Triathlon Open (hereinafter referred to as Xishui Triathlon), with the theme of "Colorful Xishui, Meet Triathlon", the event is not only the first national-level sports event independently bid by Xishui, but also regarded as a model for exploring the upgrading of the sports tourism industry chain and promoting the deep integration of sports and cultural tourism.
The first Xishui Triathlon is guided by the China Triathlon Association, sponsored by the Huanggang Sports Development Center and the People's Government of Xishui County, and sponsored by the Xishui County Culture and Tourism Bureau, the People's Government of Luyang Township, Xishui County Triangle Mountain Tourism Resort Management Committee, and the Xishui County National Fitness Guidance Center.
In the context of the increasing number of triathlon events and the gradual homogenization of event styles, the core secret of Xishui Rural Triathlon Open can stand out and become a model of the "sports + tourism" model lies in its distinctive event brand characteristics. The event creatively integrates triathlon with the local natural landscapes of Xishui, such as the Triangle Mountain, the White Lotus River and the unique charm of acrobatic performances, and other cultural tourism resources, thus significantly enhancing the innovation and differentiation of the event brand.
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Miao Hao crushed to win the championship Xishui County successfully built a brand of characteristic sports events
According to public information, Xishui County is located in Huanggang City, Hubei Province, with a long history and is known as "the thoroughfare of seven provinces, the key point of water and land, and the gateway to eastern Hubei Province". The mountains and rivers here are beautiful, and the natural beauty and rich cultural landscape complement each other. The location of the triathlon open competition was specially selected in the picturesque Luyang Township, which not only reflects the innovative concept of "sports + tourism", but also deeply excavates the cultural and tourism potential of Xishui, injecting new vitality into this ancient and vibrant land.
All participants in the Xishui Triathlon will swim 1.5 kilometers, ride 40 kilometers and run the last 10 kilometers. Because the competition venue is located in the beautiful Luyang Township, the contestants can enjoy the beautiful scenery while competing fiercely.
In terms of the race, the swimming stage is set in the Bailian River Reservoir with wide waters, the bicycle stage rides around the colorful tourist road, and the running stage is full of scenery along the way, and the participants pass through the unique cultural customs of Luyang Township, Bailian River and Triangle Mountain Tourist Area, sweat in the national forest park, and feel the unique charm of the new urban and rural area.
The first Xishui Iron Sangong attracted more than 1,000 "triathlon" enthusiasts from 32 provinces across the country. After two rounds of lottery, 335 athletes were finally determined to participate, which is also the first triathlon event in China to be drawn by lot. There are 17 categories in the event, ranging in age from 18 to over 60 years old, and the competitors are all "triathlon" enthusiasts from 32 provinces across the country, and many of these enthusiasts are professional athletes. The total prize money of the event is also as high as 155,100 yuan.
At 9 a.m. on April 21, with the sound of the starting gun, the athletes jumped into the water like arrows from the string and began their journey. After fierce competition, Chinese professional triathlete Miao Hao won the men's full 30-39 years old group with a net score of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 49 seconds.
Since entering the industry in 2006, Miao Hao has been "dead" with triathlon for 18 years, and once broke the previous Chinese record held by himself at the 2023 IRONMAN Hamburg European Championships. Miao Hao's arrival once again increased the exposure of Xishui Tiesan this time.
Triathlete Miao Hao
Wang Feng, Secretary of the Party Committee of Xishui County Culture and Tourism Bureau, said to the event: "In the planning of the event, a track that can show the rural style of Xishui was specially designed, and in the landscape display, the live broadcast of the event and media reports were used to show the idyllic scenery and unique culture of Xishui in an all-round way, and at the same time, a series of cultural activities were organized during the event, such as folk performances and handicraft displays, so that participants and audiences could deeply experience the charm of Xishui culture." ”
The key to the remarkable success of Xishui Triathlon lies in its full excavation and amplification of the regional brand characteristics of Bailian River and Triangle Mountain. Since the first Ironman Marathon in Hainan in 1987, triathlon has undergone nearly 40 years of development in China. The number of events has grown from a few per year to dozens per year, showing a vigorous development trend.
At a time when triathlon events are frequently held, brand sponsorship and media attention tend to favor large-scale and well-known events. Therefore, for rural events such as Xishui Triathlon, in order to stand out in the fierce competition, it is necessary to embark on a path of brand innovation and differentiated development. Through its unique brand positioning and innovative event operations, Xishui Triathlon has successfully occupied a place in many triathlon events and has become a model of deep integration of sports and tourism.
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The policy of revitalizing rural events is frequent, and Xishui's "sports + tourism" industry has been comprehensively upgraded
In the context of rural revitalization and county urbanization, sports are also regarded as one of the important means to empower rural revitalization and county urbanization. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the rural population of the mainland will reach 491 million in 2022, and providing them with high-quality public sports services is also a basic requirement for the revitalization of the countryside, and the rural sports industry is already a battleground.
In 2023, the General Administration of Sports of China, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs12 and other departments issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting Sports to Help Rural Revitalization". The "Opinions" clarified the goal of sports to help rural revitalization in the next few years and in the long term: by 2025, establish and improve the policy measures and working mechanisms of sports to help rural revitalization, improve the public service system of rural fitness for rural fitness, create and form a number of demonstration cases of sports to help rural revitalization, and the results of sports in helping rural economic and social development have been revealed.
The General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China also issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for Sports Development", which proposed: "Encourage the use of natural ecological endowments in different regions, guide the rational layout of the outdoor sports industry, and create an outdoor sports industry with regional characteristics." Set up an industry-level project for competition performances, accelerate the construction of a self-owned brand sports event activity system, and create a famous sports event city with its own characteristics".
In March 2024, the General Administration of Sports, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism jointly issued a document to promote sports events into scenic spots, neighborhoods, and business districts. The three departments encourage and support all localities to introduce international and domestic first-class sports event operating companies, improve the professionalism and ornamentation of event activities, do a good job in supporting services for the masses to participate in event activities and related consumption, and better play the role of event activities in drainage;
With the strong support of the policy, the Xishui triathlon race can be held in full swing in national scenic spots such as Triangle Mountain. The event not only polished the city's business card, but also significantly enhanced the city's popularity and reputation. These events play a significant role in promoting the economic benefits of urban transportation, accommodation, catering, tourism and other related industries, and then help the comprehensive quality of urban residents, urban brand culture and public services and other soft power to improve in an all-round way.
From this point of view, the holding of triathlon events requires the synergy of sports, tourism, culture and other industries, which not only demonstrates the first-class public service level and business environment, but also promotes the city's investment attraction and economic transformation and upgrading. In this regard, the Xishui Triathlon Race is undoubtedly a model of the deep integration of sports events and cultural tourism industry.
The Xishui County Government attaches great importance to this event, from track planning to safety assurance, from event service to publicity and promotion, every detail strives to achieve perfection. They hope that through such an international-level event, more people will be attracted to Xishui to experience the natural beauty and profound cultural heritage here.
According to the observation of sports business, the Xishui Triathlon Race is expected to become a key part of the upgrading of the sports tourism industry in Xishui County and even Hubei Province, which will promote the upgrading of Xishui County's tourism resources, passenger flow, economy and image in an all-round way.
In terms of upgrading tourism resources, as a mass participation sports event with the nature of tourism, the Xishui Triathlon Race has greatly enriched the types and quantities of tourism resources in Xishui County, Huanggang.
In terms of the upgrading of tourist flow, the Xishui Triathlon Race has attracted a large number of foreign competitors and their escorts, injecting new vitality into the Xishui tourism industry.
In terms of upgrading the tourism economy, the holding of the event stimulated the consumption enthusiasm of the contestants and brought a direct pull effect to the tourism economy of Xishui County. Xishui has rich natural and cultural landscapes, coupled with profound red cultural genes and characteristic culture, which provides a solid foundation for the development of tourism economy.
In terms of upgrading the tourism image, through the design of the track, the production of medals and other elements, the event showed the new image of Xishui's vibrant and profound sports culture of rural tourism to the outside world. Miao Hao, a professional triathlete, said: "It is a pleasure to participate in the competition in such a beautiful environment, it is a very interesting track, and this competition is very testing and demanding for the participants. ”
Xishui County has unique geographical and climatic advantages. Located at the southern foot of Dabie Mountain, in the east of Hubei, on the north bank of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, it belongs to Xishui County of Huanggang City, and is located in the Yangtze River Open Development Zone of Jiujiang, Huangshi and Wuhan, with a developed waterway, highway and railway transportation network. Xishui County is picturesque, mild in climate, belongs to the subtropical continental monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons, abundant sunshine, abundant rainfall, the average annual temperature of 16.9 °C.
The Xishui Triathlon Race makes full use of the local natural environment and profound cultural heritage, chooses the scenic Luyang Township as the competition area, and relies on the Bailian River Reservoir and the 4A-level scenic spot Triangle Mountain and other landscapes to deeply integrate sports and eco-tourism to promote a win-win situation of economic benefits and ecological environment.
To sum up, from the popular "village BA" on the Internet to today's rural triathlon events, more and more local events are becoming a new landscape in the countryside, and "sports +" is gradually becoming a new driving force for the development of rural industries. Wang Feng, Secretary of the Party Committee of Xishui County Culture and Tourism Bureau, said: "In the future, we will use the competition as a medium, relying on the unique natural environment, cultural accumulation and sports tradition, continue to explore and promote the in-depth integration of the culture, sports and tourism industry, and inject strong vitality into the high-quality development of Xishui." ”
Note: The pictures used in this article are from Xishui Iron III and OSports All Sports