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Uttaranchal hosting 4th annual Asian Rafting
and Kayaking Championship
by Ashish Goel

       Shivpuri (Uttaranchal): A generally placid but also aggressive in stretches of the holy River Ganges is playing host to a bevy of Indian and foreign rafters vying for top honours at the ongoing 4th annual Asian Rafting and Kayaking Championship here. Six international teams are participating in the sporting event, namely Japan, New Zealand, France, Nepal, Pakistan and India, producing a tough challenge for rival teams during the championship. Each team has six members. The three-day championship started this Tuesday from the riverbanks at Shivpuri as its base. The rafters traversed up to Rishikesh, more than 17 kilometres downstream. Organised by the All India Rafting and Canoeing Federation, the event has been co-sponsored by Uttaranchal State Tourism Board. About 3,000 sports lovers gathered on the first day to cheer the teams. India is being led an all women team at the championship. "Presently, we are trying focussing on women sportspersons and trying to improve their skills. Even the International Federation has suggested us that if India wants to win a medal in the Olympics, it should focus on women power and the Uttaranchal is the leader in this," said Avinash Kohli, Vice President of Indian Canoeing and Kayaking Federation. Seema Bahaduri, leading the Indian team from Uttaranchal, hopes that more women would enter the fray in the coming years. "Rafters have a good chance of reaching the Olympics. But not too many girls participate in rafting. Right now, we are the only girls participating. We hope more young girls will get motivated and emulate us," said Bahaduri.
-Nov 2,  2006

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