GUIYANG, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- More than 30 BASE jumpers from 19 countries and regions gathered at the world's highest bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province on Tuesday for a four-day international competition.
The International High-bridge Skydiving Invitational is being held at the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, which stands 626 meters above the canyon floor and spans 2,890 meters between Guanling and Zhenfeng counties.
The event follows a similar competition on October 17-18 at Guizhou's Baling River Bridge, with the same group of athletes moving to the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge for the second event.
Opened to traffic in September 2025, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge was certified by Guinness World Records in April 2026 as the world's highest bridge, standing 626.01 meters above the canyon floor. It has attracted 3.3 million visitors since opening, according to local authorities.
BASE jumping, an extreme sport in which participants parachute from fixed structures or natural formations, differs from conventional skydiving, which involves jumping from aircraft.
French jumper Ion-Mihael Paquet, who also competed at the 370-meter-high Baling River Bridge, said the greater height of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge offered a different experience.
"The bridge's height gives me a long free-fall period, allowing me to take in the mountains, forests and natural scenery," Paquet said.
American jumper John Robert, who said he had visited more than 100 countries, praised Guizhou's natural landscape and encouraged international visitors to explore beyond China's major cities.
"I just want people who have that adventurous spirit to see the beauty that this province has," he said.
Cai Shunyu, deputy director of the Guizhou Mountain Outdoor Sports Development Center, said the event aimed to combine extreme sports with tourism, technology and the region's distinctive bridge infrastructure. ■
