Over 21,000 swimmers participate in annual Sun Moon Lake swim fest

Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) More than 21,700 swimmers from 38 countries took part in the 2026 Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival in Nantou County on Sunday, organizers said.

A total of 451 swimmers from overseas and 197 swimmers with disabilities participated in the 44th edition of the event, the Nantou County government said in a statement.

The first swimmer to complete the roughly 3-kilometer course from Chaowu Pier on the lake's northern side to Ita Thao Pier on the southern side was a 43-year-old man from Spain who registered under the Chinese name Chao Wei-shin (趙偉信), the statement said.

He finished in a time of 56 minutes and 27 seconds.

Participating in the event for the first time, Chao described the swim as pleasant and Sun Moon Lake as beautiful and said he would take part again if given the opportunity.

Meanwhile, the first swimmer with a disability to reach the finish line was Chang Wei-chieh (張維捷) of Taipei, who swam the butterfly to sprint through the final stretch, according to the statement.

A longtime participant in the event, Chang encouraged people with disabilities to take the initiative to exercise and enjoy themselves without being constrained by their conditions.

"What everyone else is capable of, we are also capable of doing," he said.

Early Sunday morning, Nantou County Magistrate Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) released 10,000 topmouth culter fry into the lake's waters near Shuishe Port as a gesture to promote the protection of the lake's ecosystem.

She then went to Chaowu Pier to fire the starting pistol and cheer on the swimmers, the statement said.

Hsu said participants were equipped with a chip on their wrists and another on their buoy boards this year for the first time ever to improve swimmer safety.

The system was aimed at making it easier to locate and identify swimmers who need assistance, she said.