Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China - July 13, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of racers racing on horseback, shooting arrows
2. Arrow shot into target
3. Spectator recording competition
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Liu Hongqin, equestrian coach in Inner Mongolia:
"It requires speed and accuracy. One has to have accuracy if they want to hit the target within very short time. It also requires the steadiness of the racers and the talents they have acquired over time."
5. Various of racers racing on horseback, shooting arrows
6. White line drawn on ground
7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Shuai, referee with National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities' arrow-shooting on running horse competition:
"The racer is less than two meters away from the target. Many racers find it hard to keep their horses under control before the white line of the target. They would break the rule if they step on that line."
8. Various of racers
9. Horse
10. Racer with bow, arrow in hand
11. Winners holding certificates

The breathtaking annual arrow-shooting on horseback competition dazzled the audience in Hohhot, the capital city of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Saturday.

The competition is part of the 11th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities, which kicked off in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday.

This year, seven teams consisting of 72 racers brought their horses to try their luck at the competition.

The racetrack spans 110 meters with two targets placed along the way. An arrow shot into the center of a target will bring three points, while arrows piercing through the middle area and outer ring will bring two points and one point respectively.

To intensify the game, the competition has rules on the race time. While the authority set a standard race time of 10 seconds, any player whose use of time fell beyond such range will be deducted 0.5 point per second.

After two races, the racer who earned the most points using the least time will be the champion.

"It requires speed and accuracy. One has to have accuracy if they want to hit the target within very short time. It also requires the steadiness of the racers and the talents they have acquired over time," said Liu Hongqin, an equestrian coach.

When the horses step on the racetrack, which is less than two meters wide, any false step by the horses could spell doom for their chance of winning.

"The racer is less than two meters away from the target. Many racers find it hard to keep their horses under control before the white line of the target. They would break the rule if they step on that line," said Li Shuai, a referee with the competition.

After two rounds of racing, Qing Bai from the Inner Mongolia Team won the first prize with his beloved horse An Da.

The National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities, held every four years, is the highest-level national traditional sports event with the greatest influence in China.