POKHARA, Dec 29: The second edition of the 'Nepal-China Friendly Dragon Boat Race Festival' is set to begin in Pokhara today (Sunday), aiming to strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties between Nepal and China while promoting Nepal's tourism.
The festival, taking place at Pokhara's major tourist destination, Fewa Lake, will feature athletes from Nepal, China, and Singapore. The competition will run until December 30. Organized jointly by the Gandaki Provincial Government, Pokhara Metropolitan City, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, and the Nepal Tourism Board, the event will see the participation of 20 teams.
Preparations Underway for Dragon Boat Race in Pokhara
The organizer, Pokhara Metropolitan City’s Mayor Dhanraj Acharya, stated that all preparations for the competition have been completed. According to him, a chartered flight from Chengdu, China, brought 129 athletes to Pokhara on December 26 for the event. The participating teams have been practicing daily at Fewa Lake.
The competition will feature eight teams from China, one from Singapore, and 11 teams from various parts of Nepal. The Nepali teams include those from Gandaki, Bagmati, Karnali, Tribhuvan Army Club, Dragon Boat Gandaki, Begnas Team, Rupa Lake Team, and the Nepal Association of Rafting Agencies (NARA), among others.
In the competition, the winning teams in the 500-meter and 200-meter races will receive a prize of $5,000 each, while the runners-up will be awarded $2,000, and the team finishing third will receive $1,200.
