All-women Gazelle Rally coming to China

The Gazelle Rally, one of the toughest rally races in the world, is coming to China.

The off-road race, previously held annually in the Saharan sands of Morocco, will take place in Naiman Prefecture of Inner Mongolia this weekend.

Naiman Prefecture official Bu Ren waves the flag of the 2019 Gazelle Rally China in Beijing on Oct 22, 2019. [Photo provided to China Plus]

Nine teams from different parts of the world will compete in the three-day race in the Naiman desert from Friday.

The distinctive feature of the rally is that its participation is restricted to women only.

Drivers will compete without GPS, only using a compass to plot their route between checkpoints.

Moroccan Ambassador Aziz Mekouarof gives a speech in Beijing for the 2019 Gazelle Rally China, Oct 22, 2019. [Photo provided to China Plus]

The winner is not the fastest team but the one which has traveled the least number of kilometers before reaching the finish line.

It's the first time the Gazelle Rally is held in Asia.