2026 Great Altai Intl Outdoors Sports Festival opens in Altay

The 2026 Great Altai International Outdoors Sports Festival opened along the Ertix River in Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Aug. 11. 

The event brought together delegations from Russia's Altai Krai, Kazakhstan's East Kazakhstan region and Mongolia's Bayan-Ölgii province, as well as teams from Urumqi and Altay in China. 

Over the next nine days, 174 athletes and coaches from five delegations will compete in 14 disciplines. These include outdoor sports such as rafting, mountaineering, rock climbing, paragliding, mountain biking and Nordic walking, as well as traditional activities including wrestling, yajia (traditional tug-of-war), arm wrestling, stick fighting and toguz kumalak.

Dancers perform at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Great Altai International Outdoors Sports Festival in Altay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Aug. 11, 2026. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

The Great Altai International Outdoors Sports Festival is held in turn among countries in the Altai Mountains region. Altay is hosting the event for the second time. 

According to Altay's bureau of culture, sports, radio, television and tourism, the city is promoting sports tourism and cultural exchange projects year-round, and also working to attract more visitors to enjoy its natural scenery in all four seasons and encourage exchanges among different ethnic groups. 

The Altai Mountains stretch across China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, linking the ecology, friendship and cooperation of the four countries. Altay is leveraging its reputation as the "Birthplace of Skiing" and "China's Snow Capital" to promote sports tourism and regional cooperation.

The Altay delegation arrives at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Great Altai International Outdoors Sports Festival in Altay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Aug. 11, 2026. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Sports connect the world, tourism fosters exchange, and regional cooperation is the path to mutually beneficial development. This festival provides a platform for strengthening the Altai Mountains cooperation in areas including sports events, tourism routes, industry and talent exchange.

The 2026 Great Altai International Outdoors Sports Festival marks a new chapter in the high-quality development of sports tourism in the region surrounding the Altai Mountains.