Soldiers conquer obstacle course in 2018 IAG

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July 30 is day one of races for the Seaborne Assault contest of the 2018 International Army Games. They're being held in southeast China’s Fujian province.

The competition tests speed, skill and endurance of military personnel from five countries. Iran, Russia, Sudan, Venezuela and China have sent 13 marine corps teams to compete with one another on an obstacle course 1.2 kilometers long.

13 marines corps teams from 5 countries compete against each other. /CGTN photo

Vasily, a Russian marine participant, told CGTN that it's a fiercely competitive race, and it demands a lot of physical energy. The participating players are all striving for the best results. He said that the Chinese players are very skilled and fast, and show amazing power and physical strength, but the Russian players are not too bad.

Each participant needs to finish all 19 obstacles, which include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, and balancing. /CGTN photo

Alvarez Duno Tte, lieutenant of Venezuelan marine corps, told CGTN that he feels like his team did very well this morning. He thinks that though they faced difficulties, they worked around them.

After Monday's seven rounds of competition, the top three teams are all from the Chinese Marine./CGTN photo

The team who finishes the race in the shortest time wins. Xu Xiaofei, a Chinese marine contestant, told CGTN that they felt a lot of pressure as the first group to run, but after finishing the whole process, each of their members did a good job, without committing any major mistakes.

Hundreds of other soldiers and visitors came out to cheer them on. /CGTN photo

Xie Yiwen, a soldier with the Chinese Marine Corps, told CGTN that watching these games is great, and that they learn about the skills and strategies of other armies.

In the next few days, these marine corps teams will compete in other races, including a survival trail and relay events./CGTN photo

One of the major highlights of this year’s army games is focusing more on realistic battles, which feature many obstacles. So this obstacle race aims to improve soldiers’ physical training, teamwork-building and problem solving skills within a limited time.