Sun Moon Lake swim fest returns for 2022

Taipei, June 27 (CNA) Registration for Sept. 4's Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival, the world's largest open-water mass participation swimming event, will open July 1, according to the Nantou County Government Monday.

The carnival was canceled in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Spots for this year's event will be capped at 20,000, the county government said.

The county's deputy magistrate Chen Cheng-sheng (陳正昇) said participants will need to abide by certain rules, including having received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine if aged 12 or above.

Children between the ages of 8 and 11 will only need to have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses, Chen said, adding that the inoculations must be done before July 15.

Also, participants are required to provide proof of a negative rapid antigen test two days before the event, and they must not have any symptoms of the disease such as fever and cough before entering the water, the deputy magistrate said.

Swimmers at the event will need to wear a face mask at all times except when in the water, Chen said.

The 2022 event will be open to healthy individuals aged 8-75, including foreign nationals who live and work in Taiwan, while the deadline for registration will be July 15, according to Chen.

The annual Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival was first held in 1983 and is usually held around the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Covering a distance of approximately three kilometers, the event was officially listed in the World's Swimming Hall of Fame in 2002.