China Sports Lottery will give full support to the 2009 Tour of Qinghai Lake, the race organizer announced Wednesday in Beijing.

Feng Jianping, left, deputy director of Tour of Qinghai Lake Organizing Committee presents a golden Tibetan antelope statue to Wei Jixiang, deputy director of Sports Lottery Management Center. [China.org.cn]

"It's been 15 years since sports lottery was first introduced in China," said Wei Jixiang, deputy director of the Sports Lottery Management Center under the General Administration of Sport of China. "We have raised more than 80 billion yuan (US$11.7 billion) for public interests, such as social insurance, health care and education projects, as well as disaster relief."

China Sports Lottery issued a lottery for the tour in March. The instant lottery has four series with the highest prize of 250,000 yuan (US$36,570).

During the global economic downturn, the tour is raising funds from local companies, including China Construction Bank, China Mobile Qinghai branch and Peak, a sportswear company in China.

Billed as "the highest cycling race in the world," the 2009 Tour of Qinghai Lake will last from July 17 to 26, covering a total distance of 1,280 kilometers and reaching a dizzying altitude of almost 4,000 meters (about 13,123 feet).

Starting at Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Qinghai Province, the race will cover ten stages. Much of the following 10 days are centered around Qinghai Lake, the largest inland saltwater lake in China.

Besides the opening ceremony, China Central Television (CCTV) will broadcast three stages live on its sports channel.

The race will have 147 riders from 21 teams, including three UCI pro-continental teams, 13 UCI Continental teams, four national teams and a regional team.

Founded in 2002, the annual Tour of Qinghai Lake is the largest and most prestigious of its kind in Asia.

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan June 17, 2009)