KATHMANDU, Nov 24: The ‘War Horse’ Pokhara International Cross Country Race Competition is going to be held on November 25 between Chinese and Nepali athletes. The purpose of this competition is to maintain Nepal's active and harmonious international relations through sports. About 100 Chinese players and officials landed at Pokhara Regional International Airport on a Himalaya Air flight on November 23 for the competition.
Four years ago, in 2019, a cross-country race was organized between China and Nepal in Pokhara. Although the competition was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is now slated to resume this year.
This competition is organized by the joint efforts of Nepal Tourism Department, Chinese Embassy to Nepal and Pokhara Municipality.
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Bishwa Sankar Palikhe, president of Pokhara Chamber of Commerce, said that this project recognizes that the tourism of Pokhara can be promoted in the biggest international market like China through sports. He stated that Pokhara, which has a geographical mix of hills, mountains, lakes, etc., is suitable for adventure sports like running.
In a team, there must be three contestants, consisting of either two males and one female or two females and one male. While this competition is specially designed for running, it is not limited to just running; it also includes cycling and swimming. Based on this criterion, participants are required to complete a total distance of 40 km, comprising a 22 km run, a 17 km cycling segment, and swimming for 1 km. The organizers of the competition have said that the collective competition will conclude once the participants have successfully covered the entire specified distance through running, cycling, and swimming.
Participants in the competition will be divided into groups. The Nepal Tourism Board has stated that 60 people will participate in the competition at the rate of three people in one group, while more than 500 Nepalis will participate in the open category.
Additionally, considering the possibility that not all groups may be able to participate, a 38 km cross-country race competition has been organized. This event has attracted participants from China as well, adding to the excitement. Nepali athletes have also been gearing up for this competition, which is being hosted from Kathmandu.
The winning team will be awarded Rs 3,60,000 in cash prizes, with the second-place team receiving Rs 2,88,000, the third-place team receiving Rs 2,16,000, the fourth-place team receiving Rs 1,44,000, and the fifth-place team receiving Rs 90,000.
