The 10th Yunnan Ethnic Games opens in Shangari-La on Sept 12, with 18 delegations taking part and representing cities, autonomous prefectures, Yunnan Minzu University and Yunnan Normal University, Xinhua.net has reported.

The Games have two parts covering competition and sports performance such as the ethnic aerobics, with some of the outstanding athletes to be chosen to represent Yunnan province in the National Ethnic Games to be held in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, in the next August.

This year's Games are following an austerity principle so the time and scale of the opening and closing ceremonies will be reduced, and there will be changes in some of the Yunnan Ethnic Games, with the dragon-boat race cancelled because of the altitude and the equestrian event broken into two categories based on the height of the horse.

By Ge Jieru and edited by Roger Bradshaw