Visiting rowers enjoy Karachi trip

Tourist teams praise arrangements for amateur rowing event.

KBC won 17 gold medals in the two-day race where 41 competitions took place. PHOTO: ORGANISERS

KARACHI:
The participating teams from Sri Lanka, India and the UAE will leave on Sunday after competing in the 72nd Amateur Rowing Association of the East-Far East Amateur Rowing Association (ARAE-FEARA) Chinna Creek international regatta.

While the visiting rowers enjoyed their trip to Karachi, it was hosts Karachi Boat Club (KBC) who won the cup.

KBC won 17 gold medals in the two-day race where 41 competitions took place. Colombo Rowing Club finished second with nine gold medals while Madras Boat Club came third with six gold medals.

The regatta event featured around 100 contestants from Sri Lanka, India, the UAE and two clubs from Pakistan – the Lahore Boat Club and KBC.



“This is the eighth time KBC won the FEARA title,” the Pakistan Rowing Association (PRA) official Abdul Rahim Babai told The Express Tribune.


“We are grateful for the tourist teams for coming here when no other international sports team wanted to visit due to the law and order situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Madras Boat Club team-member Joshua Ruthnaswamy praised the arrangements made for the competition.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Ruthnaswamy. “Even though it was very different from home, we had a good time.

“The level of competition was also good,” he saying, adding that they were proud to win medals in both the men’s and women’s event even though they had only brought a six-member squad.

Meanwhile, Colombo Rowing Club official Sanjay Mendis said he loved the time spent in Karachi and would like to return if he gets the opportunity.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2013.

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