Hundreds of women participated in a variety of sports on the first day of the Women’s Sports Festival at Cubbon Park on Saturday.
The two-day festival, organised by the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, provides an opportunity for women to explore rafting, bouldering, skating, and other sports.
The rafting challenge, in particular, gathered much attention as it was being organised for the first time in the park’s pond.
Participants need to race in teams of four for a distance of 30 metres in still water. The challenge is open until 2 pm and the top 10 teams with the shortest times on the board will go on to the finals which will be held at 4 pm.
Women can also take part in recreational activities. By 5 pm on Saturday, about 500 women participated in recreational activities and about 75 women participated in the challenge, said Keerthi Pais, adviser to the director general, General Thimayya National Academy of Adventure (GETHNAA).
Pond restored
The pond at the park has been restored and redesigned as part of the Smart City project and the Bal Bhavan will look after its maintenance.
The department officials said that once the pond is officially inaugurated, there are plans to continue rafting and other water sports activities — both for recreation and competition purposes — and possibly provide training for the same there.
Dr Shalini Rajneesh, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, said that this rafting challenge serves as an experiment to gauge public interest in water sports to consider the possibility of regularising activities in the pond.
She added that this challenge is a good initiative to encourage women to explore these water sports and push them to take it up competitively. “Talks are also being held to consider including rafting and other water sports in summer camps held at Cubbon Park,” she said.
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