International Army Games 2017: IFV race kicks off in Korla

Infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) competition, an event of International Army Games 2017, kicks off in the city of Korla, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on Monday, July 31, 2017. China, Russia and Angola were grouped together on the first day. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Wang Kunlong, captain of Chinese Team I, smiles confidently before the race. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Chinese team climbs over a steep slope. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Chinese team "flies" into the pond. Wading through water is one of the most difficult challenges in the competition, says IFV driver Lu Bo. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Chinese team reaches the other side of the pond. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Russian team is equipped with battle-hardened BMP-2 IFVs and skilled team members. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Angola team runs at full speed to catch up with the Chinese and Russian teams. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Chinese team hits each of the 27 targets without a miss. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

A Chinese team member discusses improvements to increase speeds of their IFV. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Angola team waits for the race to begin. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Russian team "flies" over a bridge. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Thick black smoke is a unique trait of the Russian team's IFV. [Photo: thepaper.cn]