KAMBA, Oct 25: The first edition of ‘Arunachal Cup – 2018’, an R6 national level rafting championship, was flagged of by Liromoba MLA Nyamar Karbak at the Yomgo river here in West Siang district on Thursday.
Organized by the Arunachal Water Sports Association (AWSA) in collaboration with the sports & youth affairs department, the competition, which will culminate on 27 October, will witness several teams from all across the country compete for the coveted championship crown. The event is a bid to promote adventure tourism and boost the inflow of domestic and international tourists in the state.
Teams of six paddlers will raft in five events – time trials sprint, head-to-head sprint, slalom I & II, and marathon downriver race – and accumulate points to decide which team will represent the country in the World Rafting Championship scheduled to be held in Austria next year.
Karbak said tourism in Arunachal Pradesh is at a growing stage and there is an intention to develop it as a premium tourism destination.
“The state government is investing a lot of money to make Arunachal the adventure and exotic tourism hub of India. Besides adventure sports like trekking, angling and boating, our state also offers great opportunities for white water rafting,” the MLA said.
He also highlighted the tourism potential of Kamba circle.
International Rafting Federation judge from Russia (also the judge for the championship), Natalia Zenkova was all praise for the scenic and natural beauty of Kamba and the state.
“Russia is a beautiful country, but the natural beauty of Arunachal is breathtaking. The only complaint I have is of the roads, and if the same is fixed, Arunachal can go a long way in the route of adventure tourism,” she said.
Also to speak was White Water Rafting Association of Jammu & Kashmir general secretary (also the commissioner of the championship), Shauky Putoo, who highlighted the importance of water sports and adventure tourism, and Aalo ADC Gobi Nyigyor, who appealed to the people to keep the river and its banks clean.
