SANYA, China, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The newly crowned world champion Xu Jiayu and other famous athletes in aquatic sports on Friday attended a charity walking in Sanya, south China's Hainan province.
It was the first time that the FINA held the celebrity charity activity.
Besides Xu who won the men's 100m backstroke world title in 2017, star swimmers Liu Xiang and Chen Aisen of China, star diver Thomas Daley of Britain, synchronized swimmer George Minnesini of Italy, together with 20 volunteers, joined in a public walking to show respect to and care for the sanitation workers.
Liu, who twice broke the women's 50m freestyle Asian record, said the event was meaningful and reminded everyone of caring for the sanitation workers who dedicated to serve the public without much attention.
"We should pay more attention to the environment protection, and to create a better environment together," said Xu.
The FINA World Aquatics Gala will be held on Dec. 2 in Sanya.