Vice President Wu Den-yih was on hand to help kick off the annual Sun Moon Lake Swim on Sunday. Some 20,391 swimmers, including 173 physically challenged participants, attempted the 3,000 meter swim. There was a total of 1,985 international swimmers from 33 different countries who took part in the event.
The swim has been held every year since 1983 at Sun Moon Lake, which is the nation’s largest freshwater lake. The atmosphere was festive during Sunday’s swim, with many of the swimmers attaching balloons to their bodies, and taking selfies as they paddled across the lake.
This year, there were more than 400 firefighters and lifeguards on hand to oversee the health and safety of the swimmers.