A bird's-eye view of the Aquatic Sports Arena of the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in Xiaoshan district. [Photo provided to ehangzhou.gov.cn]

China's top swimmers, including Wang Shun, Zhang Yufei, Ye Shiwen, and Li Bingjie, will gather in Hangzhou during this year's May Day holiday to prepare for the upcoming Asian Games.

The "Exciting Hangzhou" 2023 National Swimming Championships will be held from May 1 to 6 at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Aquatic Sports Arena, with 469 athletes from 26 teams competing for a total of 41 gold medals for both men and women.

The event is a qualifier for the 2023 Fukuoka World Swimming Championships and the second-round qualifier for the Hangzhou Asian Games. It is also the first high-level national competition to be held in the arena and will serve as a comprehensive trial for Asian Games swimming events.

The competition will include events for both men and women in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, individual medley, freestyle relay, and medley relay.

It is expected to be participated in by top Chinese swimmers, including current national team athletes, Asian Games champions, world champions, Olympic champions, and China's future swimming stars.

Tickets for the championships are currently on sale, with prices ranging from 40 yuan ($5.8) to 500 yuan. Hangzhou citizens can log in to the Damai App to select the events they wish to book.

A standard swimming pool for international events. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]