A participant of the 2019 FAI World Drone Racing Championship tests drones in Xiangshan county of Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

The 2019 FAI World Drone Racing Championship opened in Xiangshan county, Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province on Dec 12.

The competition, slated to run until Dec 14, has attracted a total of 112 pilots from 31 countries and regions across the world.

Among the 112 participating pilots, 103 drone pilots will compete in 31 national teams. The other nine pilots will compete as individuals.

The pilots will put their skills to the test on a three-level championship racetrack which is 4 meters wide, 6 meters high, and 630 meters long. Known as Bi-Fish, the track's design was inspired by the traditional Chinese Tai Chi symbol and the maritime culture of Xiangshan, Ningbo, a former fishing village; it includes many sharp turns, 16 air gates, and a tunnel.

Ren Hongguo, Party secretary of the air traffic control center of the general administration of sport of China, said at the opening ceremony that drone sports have seen rapid growth in China in the past year.

The number of drone companies, clubs and training institutions has risen significantly, and breakthroughs have been made in the research and development of UAV technology, he said.

Drone courses are also making their way into primary and secondary schools in China, enabling more young people to get familiar with the sport, he added.

Robert Henderson, president of the World Air Sports Federation, expressed hope that the championship, along with a series of other events, will increase interest in drone-racing and promote the development of the sport.

Li Dan, head coach of the Chinese team, said that the entry threshold of drone racing is not high, as the training of basic players is mainly carried out in school clubs, and the competition can be conducted through VR glasses and remote controls.

Ningbo is at the forefront of China's manufacturing industry and has the potential to bring changes and improvements to the drone industry, he added.

In recent years, Xiangshan has been vigorously promoting the integrated development of sports culture and tourism. Currently it is striving to build a drone industrial cluster in the county.