Chinanews, Suzhou, July 10 – Over 3,000 roller skaters participated in the World Inline Cup (WIC) held around Taihu Lake in Suzhou after a shower swept the scenic city on Sunday.After the event, WIC chairman said he was looking forward to next years’s roller skating marathon tour held in Suzhou.In 2005, Suzhou was chosen as a host city for the WIC event for three consecutive years. This was the second year that the city hosted the world official rollers marathon event, where professional skaters participated in a 42-kilometer event while amateurs took part in an 8-kilometer one. The track field for the event was set at the Taihu Vacational Center, where lots of beatiful scenic spots, including the Taihu Bridge, the Taihu Swamp Area and the Taihu International Golf Club, are all dotted alongside the track. The sports gala made the city look livelier, in addition to its natural beauty.Among all the 15 cities hosting the WIC event, Suzhou is one that offers the highest point. Thus the event attracted 97 of the world’s top 100 roller skaters to come to Suzhou. The professional team was thus called the roller skating F1 event. Two Italian roller skaters grabbed the gold medals for the men’s and women’s teams. Chinese roller skater Zang Yinglu won the silver medal, the best performance so far for Asian roller skaters for this year’s competition.Chinese and Asian roller skaters had made great progress. If they can compete in more international events, they can enter into the first tier among world’s top-class competitors in a couple of years, said WIC chairman after the event.About 3,000 Chinese roller skaters from 20 provinces and municipalities across China competed in the amateur team. To them, the competition was more like a festive occasion for them to enjoy the roller skating sport. The players included 3-year-old kids as well as grandpas and grandmas. An old man from Suzhou completed his 8-kilometer tour and his perseverance was widely applauded by audiences.“I managed to complete my tour. I hope that roller skaters from home and abroad can see that Suzhou people really love roller skating, ” the old player said after the event.His professional spirit was greatly respected by WIC chairman.