Underwater Olympics 水中奧運

A Chinese aquarium is staging an underwater Olympics to mark Chinese New Year.

The event, at Underwater World in Qingdao city, will feature sports including fencing, shooting, cycling and gymnastics, reports Qingdao Morning Post.

All of the competitors will all be qualified divers and the sports have been adapted to take account of the 'conditions'.

For the fencing contest, participants will fight while balanced on a steel cable with the one falling off first being declared the loser.

And for the shooting, competitors will use specially made harpoon-style guns to pop balloons fastened to a board.

Organisers say some events - such as gymnastics - will be easier underwater because athletes' bodies will feel lighter.

"All the participants are professional divers. We want to promote Qingdao city as the host of the sailing events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics," said a spokesman for the aquarium.

Underwater World says the games will last almost two weeks, till the end of the Chinese Spring Festival, around February 12. (Qingdao Morning Post)