Champakali of Hotel Barahi, the defending champion of 300 meters race, advanced into the next round along with 11 other elephants. [break]
Hero Pawe of Green Society also fixed a semifinal spot in the 300 meters cart race. Similarly, defending champion Kist Bank confirmed its berth in the final of the calves´ football tournament. Altogether four teams are participating in the calves´ football tournament, which is being conducted on a 20x35m ground.
Kush Prasad, the star calf in the tournament´s last edition, scored a hat-trick against Rotary club on Monday to steer Kist Bank into the final with a 4-1 win. Kush Prasad scored in the 21st, 24th and 29th minutes of the match. Kush Prasad had scored a hat-trick against Tourism Development Bank in the last edition.
Kist was a goal down after Saraswati Kali scored for Rotary Club in the fourth minute, but Kush Prasad turned the match in the last 10 minutes of the 30-minute match. Tirtha Man Kali had scored the first goal for Kist in the 18th minute.
In the cart race, three-time champion Hero Pawe entered the penultimate round along with 11 other elephants.
According to Narayan Bhattarai, the event coordinator, the race is organized to promote Sauraha as a tourist destination as well as to extend tourists´ stay in Sauraha from Christmas till New Year.
Minister for Tourism Lokendra Bista said the unique tournament would help promote the region as a tourist destination.
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