Better water quality reverts HK's annual Cross Harbor swim to original route

3,000 swimmers leaped into the waters of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour on Sunday, marking the return of the annual Cross Harbour swim to its original route.

Competitors leave the starting mark as they take part in the Harbour Race swimming event in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour on October 29, 2017. [Photo: VCG]

The race returned to the heart of the city after 40 years, as better water quality allowed it to move back to its original route under Hong Kong's signature skyline.

The participants swam through the one-kilometre route linking Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon to Wan Chai Golden Bauhinia Square on Hong Kong island.

Mabel Leung, a 75-year-old resident of Hong Kong, participated in the event.

"It's so symbolic, you know, like our return to motherland, coming to this very symbolic place. And secondly, my father swam this route many years ago," said Leung.

The cross harbour race was first held in 1906.

It was suspended in 1978 because of pollution concerns in the waters of Victoria Harbour.

The race started again as an annual event in 2011.

The return of the race to its original route is a victory for Hong Kong's regional government, which in recent years has carried out major efforts to clean the harbor.