THE Sailing Tour de France will start in Dunkirk on June 24 and two Qingdao sailors will be part of the French team “South France” to attend the world famous race. The team said jointly working with Qingdao only had one goal, that is to win the competition.

The team was renamed as “South France — China Qingdao” at a recent press conference held in Qingdao. The two Chinese sailors include Guo Chuan, a professional born-and-raised Qingdao sailor, and Yu Ying, a student from the Ocean University of China in Qingdao.

“South France” is a world-class sailing team which has set 34 records at the Sailing Tour de France in the past 16 years. They have never finished outside of the top 5 in the competition.

Launched in 1978, the competition is famous for its difficulty and professional requirements. It lasts 30 days and passes by 15 major cities in France. The cooperation between France and Qingdao can not only help the team explore a new vision but also promote the two countries’ friendship.

(Wang Yuanyuan, Li Wei)